Infidelity
by Cody'sxFavoritexGirl
Summary: CM Punk has been cheating on his girlfriend with the new Diva, Mel Ryder, for the past two weeks. Their relationship wasn't supposed to go to any extreme levels, but when Mel starts to fall in love with the straight edge wrestler, can she convince him to give his all to her?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is going to be a multichapter fic written for my best friend Mel. I'm not sure how long it'll be, I just wanted to write her something. CM Punk goes to the WWE, and Mel belongs to herself. I hope you like it, Melly.**

**Chapter 1**

Mel Ryder walked down the long hallway backstage at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, where Raw was being held. She had just finished her match with Nikki Bella and was in high spirits, practically skipping across the scuffed linoleum floor. Nothing could bring her mood down.

"That was a nice little match that you had out there, Mel. For a newbie, anyway."

Except that. Mel sighed and turned to face the person who had been tormenting her for the past few weeks that she'd been a part of the WWE, not at all pleased to see her smug face. "Do you always have to say something rude, Lita?"

The red-headed ex-Diva just smiled coldly in response.

"Do you just enjoy picking on me?" Mel demanded. Lita had been chipping away at her self-esteem ever since she had first arrived in the company, and she had had enough. She knew that her match with Nikki had been an excellent match, and she didn't need some washed up bitch's approval.

"Of course," Lita answered nonchalantly. "It's my favorite hobby."

"Well leave me alone! I don't deserve any of this! I never did anything to you!" Mel snapped, balling her hands into fists by her sides.

"No, I don't think I will," Lita said. Her eyes flitted past Mel, and she suddenly seemed to perk up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have much more important matters to attend to than you."

Mel clenched her teeth in anger as Lita pushed herself off of the wall that she had been leaning up against and shoved past her, heading down the hallway toward her boyfriend, CM Punk. Mel turned to watch her go, and at the same moment Punk lifted his gaze. Their eyes met, and something intimate and special passed between them. And then Lita was tugging on his muscular arm, and he ripped his eyes away from Mel and focused his attention on her.

Mel just walked away.

The sound of discreet knocking on Mel's hotel room door woke her from the deep sleep that she had been in, and she swung the blankets of the bed back and got up. She grabbed her robe off of the back of a chair as she was only clad in her bra and underwear and put it on, then made her way to the door. Stifling a yawn, she gripped the doorknob and tugged the door open, at the same time saying, "I thought you weren't going to come. I waited for you for hours and finally gave up."

"I'm sorry, Lita took forever to fall asleep," CM Punk replied, slipping inside and shutting the door behind him. "I don't know what her problem was, usually she's out like a light."

"Maybe she was all hyped up after the sex you two had," Mel said dryly, walking back to her bed and sitting down. She knew that she was being a bit unfair, but thinking about Punk with Lita made her extremely jealous.

"Sex?" Punk scoffed. "Hardly. That woman is made of stone."

"Tell me about it," Mel mumbled.

Punk sat down beside her, and for the first time she noticed that he was only wearing a pair of black sweatpants. Her eyes traveled over his bare torso, tracing the tattoos that she knew so well.

He noticed her looking and smiled. "You can touch them. I know you like to."

Mel reached out without another word and ran her fingers lightly over the colorful ink that adorned his chest. She loved every one of his tattoos, simply because they belonged to him.

Punk closed his eyes and relaxed, enjoying the feel of her cool fingertips on his skin. Her hands slowly migrated upwards until they came to rest on the back of his neck, and then she pulled his head down to hers and their lips met.

They kissed for a little while, and then Mel felt a gentle tug on her robe as Punk loosened the tie that was holding it together. He slid it off her shoulders and she let it fall away, focusing instead on getting his sweatpants off of him. He helped her get them off, and then her bra and underwear hit the floor. She pulled him closer to her as they kissed again, and then she yanked the covers up over them.

Half an hour later, they lay intertwined, her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beating steadily under her ear, and she felt complete with his arms around her. His soft breathing told her that he was asleep, and so she allowed herself to place a soft kiss on his lips. Looking at his content face, she suddenly realized that she was falling in love with this man. They had only been having an affair for two weeks, and she already loved him.

She was in deep, and that wasn't a good thing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The sun's gentle rays slipped past the gap in the curtains on the windows and struck Mel directly in the face, and she stirred and raised her head from where it had been lying on Punk's tattooed arm. She blinked a couple of times, a little disoriented, and then what had happened last night came rushing back full force. The sex wasn't new, that happened every night, but her revelation that she loved the Straight Edge Superstar was. She turned her head and looked at Punk's sleeping face, and made a sudden decision to keep it to herself. The last thing she wanted was to scare him away forever.

She squinted into the sunlight, a bit irritated. She could have sworn that she had closed those last night.

Wait...sunlight? What time was it?

Mel rolled onto her back and looked at the alarm clock that sat on the end table next to the bed. The glaring red numbers spoke volumes: 9:00 am.

_9:00 am?!_

"Hey," she said, shaking Punk's arm. "Wake up!"

Punk grunted and tried to shake her off. These little late night trips had exhausted him, and he needed some sleep.

"Punk! It's 9:00 am!"

Punk's eyes flew open at that, and he sat up faster than Mel had ever seen. "Shit!" He threw the covers back and sprang out of bed, grabbing for his sweatpants off of the floor. He pulled them on as Mel watched from the bed, the sheets wrapped around her body.

"You have to go again, don't you?" she asked, her hazel eyes deeply sad.

Her sadness did not escape Punk's notice, and a pang of guilt struck him, but he turned away from her. "Yeah. Lita's probably already awake and wondering where I am."

"Oh. Right." Mel picked at a loose thread on the comforter, not wanting him to see the tears that were welling up.

Punk knew that she was upset, but he also knew that there was nothing he could do right now. He had to get back to Lita before she came looking for him, and he also had to have a decent explanation ready. He decided that he would just talk to her tonight when he came to see her. "I'll see you tonight, okay?" he told Mel, his hand on the doorknob.

"Okay," she mumbled, unable to look at him. This was how it always went. Punk would come to see her at night, they would sleep together, and he would leave her in the morning. His leaving was always rushed, but more so this time because for some reason the alarm that usually went off at six hadn't. Even though she was becoming used to it by now, it still hurt her deep inside every time he left.

And yet every time that he came to her, she couldn't refuse him.

Punk nodded and then slipped out, closing the door behind him.

And just like that, she was alone once again.

"You just won't quit, will you?"

Mel sighed and looked up from her salad, her hand tightening around her fork. "What are you talking about, Lita?"

"I'm talking about the way you walk around here like you own the damn company," the ex-Diva snapped, her arms crossed in front of her chest as she glared down at the petite brunette. "Here's a news flash: a few shitty matches with the likes of Nikki Bella and Alicia Fox mean nothing. Come talk to me when you've been in a Hell in a Cell match."

A surge of anger rose up inside of Mel, but she pushed it back down. Lita wasn't worth getting yelled at by Vince. "I don't walk around like I own the company," Mel replied coolly. "You must be imagining things."

"Oh really? Well, I sure as hell aren't imagining the way you look at my boyfriend." Lita planted both her hands on the table and leaned forward until her face was inches away from Mel's, her eyes hard and unforgiving. "You listen here, and you listen good, you little rookie. Punk is not, and will never be, interested in the likes of _you._"

A smirk tugged at the corners of Mel's mouth. The stupid bitch had no clue that Punk was _very _interested in her. "I'll keep that in mind," she said calmly, standing up and picking up her empty plate. "You might want to keep a closer eye on him though. I mean really, does he seem like the type to give up a few extra hours of sleep in order to get to the gym early?" She gave Lita a pointed look and then walked away, dumping her plate in the trash can on the way out the door and leaving Lita standing there, looking very bewildered.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Mel sat on her bed in her hotel room that night, waiting for Punk and thinking about what she had said to Lita. Even though she in no way regretted what she had said to the red-headed woman, she knew that she had alerted Lita to something going on with Punk. Whether the ex-Diva would put two and two together remained to be seen.

A knock sounded on the door, and Mel got up and crossed the room, already knowing who was going to be on the other side. She opened the door and smiled. "Hey."

Punk didn't return her smile. He just walked in, and once the door was securely shut he spun on her. "What the hell did you say to Lita?!"

Mel's heart plummeted. Had Lita figured it out? "She came up to me and was insulting me, so I told her that she should keep a better eye on you," she answered, sitting on the bed.

"Well she took what you said to heart, because she started grilling me as soon as we got back from the arena," Punk snapped, pacing back and forth in front of her.

"What did she say?"

"She asked where I've really been all these mornings when I said I've been at the gym," Punk replied, running a hand through his dark hair. "I didn't know what to say, so I made some bullshit excuse about Vince needing to see me and got the hell out of there. She'll probably be pissed at me when I get back."

"When you get back?" Mel repeated. "Does that mean that you're not staying?"

Punk stopped his pacing and looked at her, seeming to struggle within himself for a moment. Then he said, "I have to go back. If I don't, she'll be even more upset with me than she already is."

"Who cares if she's upset with you?" Mel demanded, suddenly angry. "Why can't you just dump the bitch?"

"She's not a bitch," Punk protested.

"Yes she is! You even said so yourself! Why can't you just be with me?!"

"It's not that simple!"

"Yes it is! Why can't you just dump her?!"

"Because I can't get attached to you!"

A sudden silence fell between them, and for a moment they just stared at each other, those words hanging in the air between them.

"I see," Mel said, her voice suddenly icy.

"Melly, that's not what I meant," Punk said, trying to placate her.

"Oh, I think we both know exactly what you meant," Mel replied, standing up. "I'm just the other woman. I could never mean anything else to you. I was stupid to think otherwise."

"Mel-"

"I think it's time for you to go," Mel interrupted him, walking over to the door and opening it. "We wouldn't want your girlfriend to be angry at you, would we?"

"That's not fair," Punk said. "You can't go turning my words around on me."

"You know what's not fair, Phil?" Mel asked angrily, using his real name simply because she knew that he hated it. "What's not fair is you waltzing in here every night, fucking me, and then leaving me the next morning. That's what's not fair."

"I never heard you complaining about it," Punk snapped.

"Well, this is me complaining," Mel snapped back. "Now get the hell out."

"Fine, but don't expect me to come back," Punk growled, stalking out the door.

"Fine by me!" Mel shouted after him, and then she slammed the door shut.

For a moment she stood there just staring at the door, and then she put her face in her hands and broke down into sobs.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Everything was falling apart. She had Punk had just gotten into a fight, and she was sure that he was gone forever. He had said that he was never coming back, and she believed him.

All that she had wanted was for him to be with her. She wanted him all to herself. It wasn't fair that Lita got to be such a bitch and have the most wonderful guy on the planet. Actually, none of this was fair. Why did she have to fall in love with a guy who was already taken?

A soft knock sounded on the door, startling her. With tears still running down her face, she opened the door.

Punk stood on the other side, and his eyes immediately met hers. They stared at each other for a couple of seconds, and then he stepped inside and she was in his arms, and their lips met eagerly. They kissed passionately, and Punk kicked the door shut behind him before scooping her up into his arms and carrying her to the bed. He lay her down on it and climbed over her, kissing her once again. Mel ran her hands up his tattooed arms as she kissed him back. She knew deep down that she shouldn't be doing this, that it was only going to get her into more trouble, but she couldn't force herself to pull away. She needed this, she needed him.

He began kissing her neck, and Mel ran her fingers through his hair and closed her eyes, losing herself in his touch. His hands moved down to her t-shirt and she helped him pull it off, then tugged at the collar of his own shirt. He yanked it over his head and tossed it carelessly to the floor, and Mel ran her hands over the tattoos on his chest just like she always had to do. He relaxed as she ran her fingertips over each of them, tracing the colorful lines. When she was finished, she pulled his head down to hers and kissed him again, letting him know that she wanted him to continue.

Punk hooked his fingers into the waistband of her shorts and slowly pulled them down her legs, with her lifting them up to help him get them off. Those joined his shirt on the floor, and moments later so did his sweatpants.

Mel looked him in the eyes, her hands cradling his face. She wanted to tell him so bad; the words were on the tip of her tongue. But she had just gotten him back, and she couldn't lose him again. So she kept quiet and instead focused on how good he was making her feel.

Half an hour later, the two of them lay curled together, trying to control their breathing. Mel's head was on Punk's chest, and he was running his fingers through her silky brown hair and watching each strand run over his palm.

After a long stretch of peaceful silence, Mel murmured, "I thought you had to get back to Lita?"

Punk took awhile before answering, and then he said, "I changed my mind. I couldn't leave you here alone, crying and upset." He tightened his arms around her as he said this, and Mel ran her fingers lightly over one of them, feeling the hard muscle tense up.

"You said you were never coming back..." she said softly, trailing off and shuddering at the thought of it.

"I could never leave you," Punk admitted. "If I'm honest with myself, I care a lot more about you than what I allow myself to."

Mel's heart jumped with excitement. It wasn't exactly an "I love you", but she would take it. "I care about you too," she whispered, lifting her head from his chest and looking him in the eyes. He looked back at her, eyes soft and warm.

"I know," he whispered back, kissing her softly.

Mel kissed him back, and then she lay her head back on his chest. He resumed running his fingers through her hair and she relaxed, feeling content and completely at home in his arms. If only they could stay like this forever, with the sun never rising and Lita sleeping forever. Nothing but the two of them.

But that was only a very tantalizing dream. Deep down, she knew that it could never happen. Morning would come, and with it Punk would have to leave. That was just the way things were, but somehow, lying here with him and listening to his heart beat steadily under her ear, she could accept that. Having him for a few hours was better than not having him at all.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Punk said quietly. "I didn't mean any of what I said."

"I'm sorry too," Mel replied. "I just get jealous sometimes. She's so lucky, and she doesn't even know it..."

Punk didn't say anything and she began to panic, thinking that she had just screwed up again. But then he bent his head and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, and she relaxed immediately. He was being uncharacteristically gentle, and she liked it. Maybe she should fight with him more often.

"Sleep," Punk whispered, brushing his hand affectionately over her flushed cheek.

"But if I go to sleep, morning will come and you'll have to leave," Mel answered sleepily.

Punk kept stroking her cheek, and then he said, "You must be emotionally drained. You need rest. I'll stay a little longer tomorrow morning."

"Promise?" Mel asked.

"I promise," he replied.

Satisfied, Mel snuggled into his arms and closed her eyes. She knew that when morning came she would be sad again, even if he was going to stay a little longer than usual, but the memory of the tenderness that the two of them had shared tonight would help her get through it. And after tomorrow was over and night time fell again, she would get to see him again. The important thing, she supposed, wasn't that he always left her.

It was that he always came back.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Morning came faster than Mel would have liked, and before she knew it Punk was gently shaking her awake. She rolled over and opened her eyes, blinking sleepily up at him. "What time is it?" she asked, yawning.

"10:00 am," Punk replied calmly.

Mel's hazel eyes widened. "10:00 am?! Aren't you supposed to be gone by now?"

"Nope," Punk said, leaning back against the headboard with his arms behind his head.

"But Lita's going to freak," Mel said with concern, also sitting up. She drew the sheets around her and shivered; it was cold in the hotel room for some reason.

"Are you cold?" Punk asked, noticing the goosebumps that covered her bare arms.

"Obviously," Mel joked, tugging the sheets tighter around her body.

Punk smiled and held his arms out. "Come here."

Mel immediately crawled into his embrace, and Punk wrapped his arms tight around her and held her close. Mel relaxed, immediately warmed by Punk's body heat. She leaned her head against his chest and sighed contently.

"Better?" Punk murmured, stroking her hair soothingly.

"Better," Mel agreed, smiling up at him.

"Good," Punk replied, smiling back.  
After a few moments of peaceful silence, Mel said, "So when are you leaving?"

Punk glanced at the clock which now read 10:30. "I should probably go now...I've stayed for as long as I can."

"Oh," Mel said sadly. She had known that this was coming, but she hadn't really had time to prepare for it. Even though she had been content last night, the pain of him leaving was still as sharp as a knife. "Okay."

Punk knew that she was upset again, and he hated himself for doing that to her. But he really did have to be on his way. He let go of her very reluctantly and stood up, pulling his clothes back on. Mel just curled into a ball on her side, clutching the pillow that he had been sleeping on to her chest. Traces of his scent still clung to it, and even though it was a small comfort, it was still something.

"I'll see you tonight, okay?" Punk asked once he was dressed.

Mel gave a small nod, her eyes fixed on the wall.

Punk crossed the room and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. Then he was gone, the door swinging shut behind him.

Mel lay there, curled around that precious pillow. When she and Punk had first started this affair, she thought that it had sounded like a pretty good deal. Sex every night with a guy as hot as Punk had sounded fantastic, actually. But everything had changed now. She had fallen head over heels in love with him, and there was no way that she could save herself from smashing full force into the ground.

The crowd was already filing into the stadium when Mel arrived, and as she looked at the long line outside she knew that this was going to be a good Raw. That thought lifted her mood, and she strolled happily down the hallway to her locker room, earbuds in and iPod playing at full blast. She always listened to music before a show to get herself pumped up, and she liked to hum too.

She was scrolling through the music on her iPod when a hand came out of nowhere and smacked into it, sending it flying out of her hands and tearing the earbuds out of her ears. It slid across the floor, and before Mel could make a move to pick it up a boot came down on it hard. There was a sickening crunching sound, and Mel's heart plummeted right to the pit of her stomach. She looked up to see Lita standing there, a cruel smirk on her face.

"Oops, I'm sorry, I didn't see that there," she said, feigning innocence as she lifted her foot. Mel just stared at the cracked screen of her purple iPod, knowing that it would never again blast its music into her ears.

"You should really watch where you leave your stuff," Lita added, taking one more petty jab at the petite Diva. Then she laughed.

That sound seemed to trigger something deep within Mel, something that she had been trying to keep down. She had been successful so far, but seeing her broken iPod lying right next to Lita's foot and hearing her laughter ringing in her ears made it come crashing out full force. Letting out a primal scream of rage, Mel launched herself at Lita, tackling the stunned woman to the floor. She began to hit her repeatedly, screaming at the top of her lungs. Lita attempted to cover her face, but Mel just kept swinging, all of the anger that she had been holding in for so long flooding forth. She wasn't sure exactly how long she had been hitting Lita, but suddenly a pair of slim arms went around her waist, and then she was being tugged off of the redhead, still swinging her arms.

"Let go of me!" she screamed, trying to break free. "Let me hit her again! Just one more time!"

"Mel, chill out!" a voice cried in her ear, and she recognized it as belonging to Alicia Fox. Alicia struggled to hold the tiny brunette, who had suddenly seemed to gain all of the strength of the Big Show.

More people heard the commotion from down the hall and came running. Alicia handed Mel off to Roman Reigns, who was able to hold her back much better, and rushed over to Lita. She and Summer Rae helped the ex-Diva to her feet. Lita's mouth was bleeding and a sinister-looking bruise was beginning to form under her right eye. Mel felt a deep satisfaction upon seeing this.

"You little bitch!" Lita screamed at her. "I want her ass arrested for assault!"

Despite Lita's wounds, no one seemed to care much for her threat. "Oh shut up," Roman snarled at her. "It looks like it definitely wasn't unprovoked." He gestured to the remains of Mel's iPod, and Lita's eyes darkened with rage. She opened her mouth to respond, but a voice suddenly boomed, "What the hell is going on here?!"

Everyone fell silent and even Lita shut her mouth as Vince McMahon came storming down the hallway. He stopped in front of everyone and demanded, "Well? Is someone going to answer me?"

Mel decided it was best to keep silent, so she did. Lita stepped forward.

"Look what she did to me!" she exclaimed, gesturing to her beaten face. "I want her fired!"

Vince looked at Mel. "Did you do this?"

Slowly, Mel nodded.

"Mr. McMahon, Lita started it," Roman cut in. "She broke Mel's iPod. Mel was just minding her own business."

"It's true," added Alicia. "I saw the whole thing."

Vince ran a hand over his face and sighed. "Mel, go back to the hotel. Take the night off. And Lita, you come with me. We're going to have a little chat."

Lita shot Mel an icy glare, but the brunette ignored her. She simply shrugged Roman off and stooped to pick up her broken iPod. Then she headed for the front doors, feeling a lot better now that she had gotten her anger out.

Before she reached the front doors, she noticed Punk's face in the crowd of people that had gathered. Their eyes locked, and she could have sworn that he looked proud.

Then she was outside, the cool air embracing her as if she were an old friend.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Mel whisked inside her hotel room and dropped her keys on the table right inside the door, brushing her brown hair out of her eyes. Vince had banished her to her room for the day because of her little rumble with Lita, and as she looked around she _almost _began to regret it. There was nothing to do here, and she had really wanted to do her match with Summer Rae. Both of them had been really excited about it, and they had even gone over a bunch of moves yesterday because they both had wanted it to be one of the matches of the night.

But all of that was ruined now because of Lita and her stupid bitchy attitude. Mel sighed and plopped down into an armchair, snatching the remote off of the arm rest at the same time. She turned on the TV and began flipping through the channels, instantly becoming bored because there was nothing on. She settled on some lame comedy movie and just sat there staring at the screen, almost hearing her brain cells screaming as they died.

She didn't know how long she sat there watching that horrible movie when someone knocked on the door. She jumped up and almost ran for the door, eager to talk to another human being and actually _do _something.

She ripped the door open and was surprised to see Punk standing there. "Hey. Don't you have a-"

Mel was suddenly cut off as Punk's lips crashed into hers, and the next thing she knew her back was up against the wall and he was kissing her as if his life depended on it. She kissed him back just as passionately, but had to pull away for air.

"Punk, what are you doing?" she gasped.

Punk just shook his head. "No time for talking," he said as he scooped her up into his tattooed arms. "I have a match in fifteen minutes."

"I think it's going to take a lot longer than fifteen minutes," Mel joked, looping her arms loosely around his neck as he carried her to the bed.

"Shh, don't doubt my skills," Punk chided her teasingly, dropping her gently on the bed. He didn't waste any time, quickly stripping himself of his clothing and then helping her get hers off. He kissed her again, and even though the kiss was a bit hurried, it still sent butterflies fluttering wildly in her stomach. This never got old.

True to his word, Punk made her feel so amazing that the sex only lasted ten minutes, whereas it would usually last at least half an hour. It wasn't that he sucked in bed, it was just that they always took it slow because neither of them wanted it to end.

"Well," Mel said breathlessly afterwards, her head on his chest. "You are a man of many talents."

Punk smirked up at the ceiling. "I know."

"Arrogant prick," Mel mumbled.

He laughed.

Mel sat up, gathering the sheets around her body like she always did. She was a little self-conscious. "Don't you have a match?"

"Yeah, with Reigns," Punk said, glancing at the clock. "I should probably get back." He got out of bed and began pulling his clothes on, deliberately moving slowly so he could have a little extra time with her.

"So what brought this little visit on?" Mel asked as she watched him. "You only come to see me at night when your girlfriend's sleeping." She spat out the words "your girlfriend" with a little more venom than she intended, but Punk didn't seem to notice.

"I saw you fight her," Punk replied, tugging his shirt over his head. "It made me proud, and I decided to come and see you to tell you that before my match. Unfortunately, I let my more...primal...desires take over when you answered the door."

"I like your primal desires," Mel grinned.

Punk smirked. "I could tell."

"Are you coming to see me tonight?" Mel asked, her voice taking on a more serious note. She felt like since Punk had come to see her in the afternoon, he wouldn't come to her tonight, and that made her feel sad.

But Punk immediately made her spirits skyrocket when he said, "Of course I am. I wouldn't go a night without coming to see my girl."

The fact that he had called her his girl made a flood of warmth rush through her, and she fought the strong urge to leap out of bed and throw her arms around his neck. She settled for just grinning at him instead.

Punk grinned back, and then he said, "I have to go, but I'll see you tonight, okay?"  
"Okay," Mel chirped happily. She watched him go, grinning like an idiot.

The next day dawned bright and chilly, and Mel felt extremely happy to be back at the arena. Just the atmosphere made her feel alive and full of energy. They were taping Smackdown today, and Mel had been informed that she would be facing the Divas' Champion AJ Lee. That alone made her extremely happy, because for Vince to pit her against the champion only four weeks after making her debut showed that he had a lot of faith in her. It was good to know that her little incident with Lita yesterday hadn't changed his opinion of her.

She was pulling on her purple and gold gear in her locker room when Summer poked her blond head in. "Hey Melly, did you hear the news?"

Mel blinked and looked up from where she had been tying the laces on her boots, a confused expression on her face. "No, what's up?"

"Don't you know why you're going against AJ?" Summer pressed.

"Because he has faith in my abilities?" Mel guessed, genuinely bewildered.

"Well, yes and no," Summer replied. "You're facing AJ for the Divas' title!"

Mel's jaw dropped, and she stared at Summer for a full minute, unable to comprehend what she had just heard. Did Summer just say what she thought she said?

"Are you serious?" the tiny brunette Diva said.

"Yes!" Summer squealed, hopping up and down and clapping her hands together excitedly.

Mel couldn't believe that this was happening. She had only been with the company for four weeks, and Vince was already giving her the Divas' title? And from AJ, the star Diva of the roster! The weight of this decision struck her suddenly, and she fully realized just how highly Vince thought of her. She knew that he thought she was good, but never in a million years did she guess that he thought she was _this _good.

"Aren't you excited?" Summer asked, mistaking Mel's silence for indifference.

"Of course I am," Mel answered, a huge smile spreading across her face. "It just came as a bit of a shock, that's all."

"I'm sorry, I figured someone would have told you by now," Summer apologized.

"No, that's okay, thank you for letting me know," Mel said, returning to tying her boot laces with renewed vigor.

"No problem," Summer responded, turning to head out the door. "Oh!" she exclaimed, popping her head back in. "I also heard that Vince was already debating whether to have you win the title tonight or not, and CM Punk convinced him that you deserved it."

The grin on Mel's face got bigger, and she said, "Thanks, Summer. Thanks so much."

The pop that Mel got from the crowd when she made her entrance on Smackdown stunned her. Three quarters of the arena seemed to be rooting for her to win the title. She had gotten over big time in only four weeks. A little thrill of excitement ran through her. She was destined for big things, she could feel it.

AJ was waiting in the ring, sitting on the ropes and looking almost bored with the whole thing. She glared at Mel as the brunette Diva climbed into the ring and threw her arms up for the crowd, and rolled her eyes as they cheered for the WWE's newest employee.

Mel got into position in the corner across from AJ, and after the referee held the belt up in the air for the crowd to see, he signaled for the bell to be rung and the match began.

It started out simple enough. Mel and AJ engaged in a simple hold, and then Mel pulled AJ into a headlock and took her to the mat. AJ managed to squirm out of her grasp and kicked Mel in the face, and as Mel knelt there dazed she delivered the Shining Wizard to her. AJ went for the pin, looking to end the match early, but Mel was having none of it and kicked out immediately. AJ flipped her silky brown hair out of her eyes and got to her feet as Mel pulled herself up in the corner using the ropes. Letting out an animalistic scream, AJ ran full speed at Mel, intending to clothesline her. Unfortunately for her, Mel dove out of the way at the last possible second, and AJ smacked face first into the turnbuckle.

She fell backwards onto the mat and Mel bent over, intending to target her legs. But AJ was ready, and to the crowd's horror she grabbed hold of Mel and managed to get the Black Widow locked in. The fans' hearts sank as it seemed that it was all over for the bubbly new Diva, but then to their joy Mel somehow managed to stretch out a hand and hook the very tips of her fingers onto the rope. AJ held the move until the four count and then let go. Fury burning in her eyes, AJ back up a ways and then ran forward, intending to kick Mel once again. But Mel ducked the kick, and when AJ swung back around from the force of her own kick, Mel scooped her up onto her shoulders and delivered the GTS. The crowd was on its feet as Mel went for the pin, and the sound of the referee's hand smacking the mat repeatedly seemed to rise above the noise.

One...two...three.

The arena erupted as the bell rang, and Mel stumbled to her feet in a state of shock. The referee handed her the title and then raised her arm in victory, and Mel looked up into the bright lights overhead and smiled.

She had accomplished her dream, just like she knew she would.

AJ played her part well, throwing a temper tantrum at ringside. Mel went to every corner of the ring and stood on the turnbuckle, holding her gleaming new title high above her head and soaking in the crowd's cheers. So this was what it felt like to be a champion. She found that she liked it a lot.

After Mel had gotten her fill of adoration, she hopped out of the ring and went up the ramp, making sure to stick her tongue out at AJ as she passed. She had to promote the budding rivalry, after all.

Before she knew it, she was through the curtain, and everyone was crowding around her and offering their congratulations. Summer and Alicia, the two Divas who her first ever matches were with, both hugged her so tightly that it almost took the air out of her, and Roman patted her on the head. Then the crowd parted, and Mel saw the person that she had been wanting to see the most standing right in front of her.

Punk smiled warmly at her, his eyes gleaming with pride, and before Mel knew it she was running forward as fast she could. She threw her arms around his neck, never once letting go of her title, and buried her face in his chest. "Thank you," she whispered so softly that only he could hear.

"No," Punk whispered back, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "Thank you."

It was those tender words that caused Mel to begin to cry.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"So how does it feel to be the new Divas' Champion?" Punk asked, grinning at her from where he was leaning up against the headboard on the bed. They had gone directly to Mel's room after the show and were now hanging out together, sharing a big bowl of buttered popcorn between them.

"Fantastic," Mel answered happily, scooping a handful of popcorn out of the bowl. She put a piece in her mouth and looked at Punk with soft eyes as she chewed. "And I couldn't have done it without you."

Punk waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "I only gave you the nudge that you needed. You were the one who took the ball and ran with it. That was an amazing match."

Mel grinned, her chest swelling with pride. "It takes two to have a match though," she pointed out humbly. "AJ did a great job with selling the rivalry."

Punk just looked at her for a moment which made her concerned. Had she said something wrong? Then he laughed. "You can't ever take credit for something, can you?" he asked, but his tone was humorous and not mean. "Yes, AJ did great, but you did great too. It's okay to boast every now and then."

"Sorry," Mel said sheepishly. She didn't mean to always pass on the credit, it was just in her nature.

"It's okay, you wouldn't be you otherwise," Punk said simply. He got off of the bed and went over to her bag, beginning to rummage around through it. "Do you have any good movies in here?"

"Not really," Mel said, munching on some popcorn. A thought struck her suddenly, and she added, "Don't you have to get back to Lita?"

"Screw her," Punk said bluntly. "You're more important right now. This was the biggest night of your life, and I want to be here to celebrate with you."

Mel felt a little thrill of happiness run through her. Punk had just openly admitted that he'd rather spend time with her than Lita. It was a very satisfying feeling.

"Found one!" Punk exclaimed, straightening up with a DVD in his hand.

Mel looked up curiously. "Which one is it?"

Punk tossed the DVD onto the bed, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Mel picked it up and looked at the front, then laughed. "You want to watch your own DVD?"

"Sure, why not?" Punk shrugged. "I want to share this with you."  
The vulnerability in his eyes made her heart fill with warmth, and she hopped up and put the DVD in. Then she sat back on the bed and smiled at him. "Come on."

Punk sat down next to her, the remote in his hand, and she snuggled into him. Then he pressed play, and they settled in to watch.

Over the next few weeks Mel wrestled more than she ever had in her life. Being the champion meant that she had to wrestle on both Raw and Smackdown every week to keep herself relevant, and it got to be very exhausting. For the first time she realized just how tough this life could be. She barely had time to sleep because she was either working out her next match with her opponent or practicing her moves in the ring. It was even starting to get to the point where she didn't have time to see Punk.

They still made time to see each other, but with him feuding with The Shield and her wrestling every Diva on the roster it was hard. And then of course there was the Lita issue.

It all came to a head one night after Raw. Mel had just wrestled in a fatal four-way with AJ, Natalya, and Naomi, and she was feeling it. She had landed on her ankle wrong and walked with a limp to the front doors after the show. Punk spotted her and was immediately concerned, and he told her that he would take her back to the hotel and help her to her room, despite the fact that Lita was standing right there. The redhead gave Punk a furious look, but he either didn't notice or didn't care. Even so, he ended up taking Mel to the hotel and helping her to her room.

They were now in Mel's room, and she was lying on the bed with her foot propped up on a pillow.

"It looks a little swollen," Punk murmured from the end of the bed where he was examining her ankle. He sounded very worried.

"Punk, I'm fine, really," she tried to reassure him. "It doesn't hurt that bad."

"Mel, you could barely walk," Punk pointed out. "I had to carry you up here."

Mel searched for a rebuttal but couldn't find one.

"I'm gonna take care of you, don't worry," Punk promised.

Mel opened her mouth to respond, but a knock on the door cut her off. "Could you get that?" she asked, gesturing sheepishly to her injured ankle.

Punk got up and went over to the door, and as she watched he opened it.

"I figured it out!" screeched the voice that Mel hated more than anything in the world.

"Lita?" Punk said, sounding surprised and not too pleased. "What are you doing here?"

"Confronting both of you!" Lita exclaimed angrily, pushing her way inside. She spotted Mel on the bed and pointed an accusatory finger at her. "You! You little bitch!"

"Hey!" Punk barked, green eyes flashing with anger. "Don't call her that!"

"And you!" Lita snapped, whipping around to face him, her red hair flying out behind her. "You're just as bad as she is!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Punk demanded, getting annoyed. He hated it when people didn't just spit things out.

"I figured it out," Lita repeated, ignoring his question. "Did you think I never noticed when you left me in the middle of the night? At first I thought you were just going for a run, because I know that you like to do that at random hours. But you started staying away longer and longer, so I finally followed you one night. And that was when I found out that you weren't leaving the hotel at all. I watched you go into a hotel room, but I didn't know whose it was, until earlier when you so eagerly offered to take Mel back to her room. And then I realized: How would you know where her room is? And it all hit me. You've been cheating on me with this little piece of trash this entire time!"

She looked almost hurt, and for a moment Punk felt guilty. But then she whirled on Mel again. "This is all your fault, you little whore," she spat, stalking toward her with her fists clenched. "You took him from me just like I knew you would! I was right about you all along, you little _bitch_."

With that, she smacked Mel in the face as hard as she could, causing her head to snap back. Punk was there in an instant, planting himself between them.

Lita glared at him viciously, seething. "Well, I see where your loyalty lies. I thought you were better than this, but I guess I was wrong."  
"Is that what Matt said when he caught you cheating on him with Adam?" Punk shot back.

Lita sputtered before hissing, "That was low."

"Everything you do is low," Punk replied, sitting down on the bed beside Mel and gently tugging her hand away from the red mark on her cheek. "Let me see, honey."

Mel sniffled and allowed Punk to examine the mark, keeping her eyes fixed on Lita the entire time, extremely wary. Lita looked like she wanted to kill someone, and Mel had a feeling that it was her.

"We'll put something cold on it, okay?" Punk told her. Mel nodded.

"Why her?!" Lita exploded suddenly. "What does she have that I don't?!"

"The ability to love," Punk replied almost bitterly. "She loves me for me, not for my fame or my money. She understands me, and that's all I've ever wanted."

"I understand you!" Lita cried.

"Really?" Punk said, standing up. "What's my favorite food?"

Lita ground her teeth together but didn't reply.

"Melly?" Punk said, turning to the brunette Diva.

"Pancakes," Mel responded immediately.

Punk gave Lita a "I told you so" look.

"Fine," Lita snapped. "Just remember that it's your loss! Have fun with that little skank!" With that, she stormed out, slamming the door hard behind her.

Punk just rolled his eyes and sat back down next to Mel. "She was always dramatic," he muttered, checking on her ankle once again.

"Punk...?" Mel said shyly.

"Yes?"  
"How do you know that I love you?"

Punk looked up at her, warm amusement glittering in his eyes. "It wasn't hard to see, Melly."

"Do you hate me now?" Mel asked sadly.

"Of course not," Punk said, sounding surprised. "It's exactly the opposite, actually."

"The opposite?" Mel repeated, her head snapping up.

"I love you."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The days after Punk and Lita's confrontation seemed to go by in a blur. Mel's ankle healed after a week and she was back on her feet and flying around the ring as soon as the doctor cleared her. Everything had gone back to normal, except one thing.

Mel came backstage after practicing two days after being cleared to compete, sweaty and satisfied. She had been worried that she would have a little ring rust, but her fears had been for nothing, because she was just as good as she was when she first arrived. For the first time in a long time, she felt truly happy.

Her happiness skyrocketed when a gentle hand took her by the arm, and she looked up into the soft green eyes of CM Punk. "You looked great out there," he murmured, steering her over to a stack of equipment boxes. "No one could tell that you'd been hurt."

Ever since he had told off Lita and admitted his true feelings to Mel, he had been stuck to the petite Diva's side like super glue. He escorted her everywhere, much to her delight, and was finally able to show her affection in public. It was heaven.

"Thank you," Mel replied shyly, attempting to hop on top of one of the boxes. They were taller than she had originally thought though, and she frowned when she was unable to make it to the top.

"You're welcome," Punk said, and then he placed his hands on her hips and lifted her up as easily as if she were a small child, setting her lightly on the box. Then he sprang easily up beside her and took her hand in his.

Together they watched the other wrestlers go by, some heading to matches and others coming back from them. Some of them smiled warmly at the two of them, but others who were friends of Lita's glared coldly at them as they passed. Punk just glared right back at them.

"It's kind of weird to think about," Mel commented as Nikki Bella and Aksana went by, whispering to each other and shooting dark glances at her. "Half of the roster loves the fact that we're together, and the other half hates our guts. Well, mine."

A flicker of a smile played at the corner of Punk's mouth. "The entire locker room hates mine. Always have, probably always will. And that's not something that breaks my heart."

Mel swung her feet, listening to the roar of the crowd just beyond the thin curtain. "They just don't know you like I do," she said softly, thinking about the tenderness that was often in his eyes and in the way that he touched her. The love. "They don't understand you."

"No they don't," Punk agreed. His fingers brushed softly across her cheek. "But I'm glad that you do."

Mel turned her head quickly to the side and pressed her lips lightly against his palm, and he smiled the sweetest smile that she had ever seen.

"Punk."

And just like that, the smile dissipated like wispy smoke rolling off of a fire. Punk's eyes became twin emeralds, hard and polished, and he turned them on the person who had intruded on their intimate moment. "Paul."

Paul Heyman's lips puckered and his face scrunched up with amusement as he studied the scene before him. "As much the womanizer as you've always been," he said in a loud voice, looking directly at Mel when he said it, as if the words were meant to harm her more than Punk. She stared back at him defiantly. She had a strong dislike for the squat little man who had given her beloved Wolverine everything, only to rip it all away when he didn't get what he wanted.

"And you're as much the leech as you've always been," Punk replied evenly. "Where's your brute? Did he run off back to his octagon, tail between his legs?"

"If I recall correctly, that "brute" beat you soundly at SummerSlam," Paul gloated in that annoying self-righteous tone that seemed to belong exclusively to him.

"One match out of a thousand," Punk responded, sounding almost bored. "Most of which I've won."

"Indeed," Paul agreed. "But you need to remember where you came from. You wouldn't have had any of those matches if it wasn't for me."

Punk rose to his feet suddenly, seeming to tower over the walrus. "I came from a drunken father and a bipolar mother," he said in a low, deadly tone. "I came from the streets of Chicago, where I aged much faster than the other children. I came from a broken household and a family that wanted nothing to do with me. And because of all of that, I am strong. I would have clawed my way to the top with or without you, because it's in my blood. You just happened to be a convenience, and you're a fool if you think otherwise. I don't need you. I never did. Get over it."

A heavy silence hung in the air once he stopped talking. His voice had gotten louder with each word, and everyone around them stood quietly, watching with interest to see what would happen next. Mel was immensely proud of him in that moment. He had such a way with words, such a natural ability to command peoples' attention. He was right, she knew; he would have made it to the top without Paul Heyman.

Paul knew it too, but he didn't let it show. Instead he just smiled. "Strong words from a weak man," he said, a taunting lilt to his voice. "Tell me, how angry was Lita when she found that little _thing _in your bed?"

Punk stepped forward, his hands reaching out as though he were going to strangle Heyman, but Mel was off of the box in a heartbeat, and she stepped quickly between them.

"Hey, stop," she murmured to Punk. "He's not worth it. Think of what Vince might do."

"Yes, that's right," Paul laughed. "Go on and protect your little boyfriend."

Mel turned her head and fixed the coldest gaze that she could muster on him. "I'm not protecting him from you," she said icily. "I'm protecting you from him."

That caused Heyman's smug smile to slip for the briefest of seconds, but just as quickly it pasted itself once more to his face. But before that happened Mel saw the fear in his expression, and it confirmed what she had known all along: Paul Heyman was a dog with all bark and no bite.

"This isn't over," Paul huffed, and he turned and waddled away through the crowd that had gathered, attempting to ignore the snickers from the other wrestlers as he passed.

Mel glanced around at all the people and then slid her hand into Punk's. "Come on," she murmured, leading him to her locker room. Once they were inside and the door was safely shut behind them, Mel turned to face him. "Are you okay?"

Punk nodded and sat on a bench. "You should have let me rip that smug little grin off of his face," he growled, seizing a nearby towel and wringing it in his hands as if it were Heyman's throat.

Mel sat down beside him. "I didn't really like the thought of watching the love of my life get arrested for murder," she pointed out, gently taking the towel from his hands and folding it neatly. She placed it in its proper spot on the bench and added, "Besides, he may talk a lot, but lord knows he can't do shit without Brock around."

"And Brock never sticks around anyway," Punk snorted. He sighed and wrapped an arm around Mel's waist, drawing her into his side. "At least I have you," he murmured, nuzzling his face into her silky chocolate hair. "Without you, I don't know what I'd do."

"You don't have to worry about that, because you'll never be without me," Mel reassured him softly, snuggling into him. "I love you, Wolverine."

"I love you too, baby," Punk whispered. She smiled and shifted closer to him.

Despite the intense happiness that she felt while in his arms, Mel couldn't shake off the sense that a storm was brewing.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"You want me to feud with Nikki Bella?"

"That's correct," Vince McMahon said, leaning back in his plush black office chair.

Mel struggled to keep the disgust that she felt off of her face. Nikki Bella couldn't wrestle a broom, let alone the WWE Divas' Champion. She blinked when she realized how conceited she had just sounded, but then gave an inward shrug. Hey, Punk had told her that it was okay to gloat sometimes. "Um, okay," she replied. "I guess I can work with her."

"Excellent," Vince said, sounding satisfied. "You can go."

Mel nodded and stood up, snatching her belt off of the back of the chair where she'd been sitting. She wrenched the door to Vince's office open and strode out into the hallway, a little annoyed. She had thought that becoming the champion would elevate her in the eyes of Vince, but instead he had relegated to a meaningless feud to one of the most horrible Divas in the company. She sighed; one step forward and two steps back.

Snapping her belt around her small waist, she set out in search of Punk. She was sure that he'd want to know about her little meeting. After about fifteen minutes of looking, though, she couldn't find him anywhere.

Confused, she headed to Catering, thinking that maybe he had been hungry. As she approached the open area, she smiled when she heard his voice among the clatter of plates and forks. Then she rounded the corner, and her smile died instantly.

Punk stood by one of the tables, talking to a redhead. A redhead who just happened to be Lita.

The floor lurched under Mel's feet and the world spun. Punk was talking to Lita. The woman who was his ex-girlfriend and who had frequently made her life hell. He was actually having a _conversation _with her.

The sight of them made her feel sick to her stomach, and she spun on her heel and took off down the hallway without even bothering to tell Punk about her meeting. She didn't even want to see him at that moment.

Later that night, Mel was in her hotel room, throwing Punk's things into a duffel bag. Tears ran down her face as she grabbed his favorite Chicago Cubs hat off of the pillow where he slept and threw it in as well.

The door opened behind her, and Mel tensed up, knowing exactly who it was.

"What's going on?" Punk asked, sounding confused.

"You know exactly what's going on," Mel said, turning to face him.

"Melly, are you crying?" Punk said, startled. He moved toward her, intending to wipe the tears from her face, but she backed away. Hurt flashed across his face. "What is it?"

"I saw you today," Mel said in a shaky voice. "In Catering."

"So?" Punk replied, blinking. "I was hungry, I went to get some food."

Mel glared at him. "You weren't getting food, you were talking to Lita!"

Understanding dawned on Punk's face as suddenly as the sun breaking over the horizon in the morning, and he said, "Is that what this is all about?"

"Yes," Mel snapped, yanking the zipper on the duffel bag shut. "I'm sick and tired of being the second woman. I thought we were going to have a chance at a real relationship after you told Lita off that one night, but obviously I was wrong. It's clear that you still love her despite what you said, so congratulations, you're free. Go find her." Mel shoved the duffel bag at him, tears still falling strong. "Here's all of your stuff."

Punk just stared at her blankly, a look of shock in his eyes. "Are you being serious right now?"

"Completely," Mel responded, trying to make her tone as cold as possible. That was very hard to do, however. She shook the duffel bag at him. "Well? What are you waiting for? Get going. I'm sure she's waiting for you."

Punk snatched the duffel bag away from her, green eyes blazing with anger. "You're being ridiculous. I was only talking to Lita because she was begging me to take her back. I told her that I love you and that I'm never leaving you. I never expected you to leave me, though."

One look into his eyes, and Mel realized that he was telling the truth. She suddenly felt like the biggest fool on the planet. "I...I thought..." she stammered.

"I know what you thought," Punk said icily. "You made that pretty clear." He turned his back on her, reaching out for the door handle. "This relationship isn't going to work. You obviously don't trust me, and that's an integral part of any relationship."

"Don't go..." Mel whimpered. "Please...I screwed up...I'm sorry..."

"Yeah, me too," Punk responded. Then he went out the door and was gone.

Alone. That was what Mel was feeling right now. She sat on her bed with her face in her hands, crying quietly. She had just pushed away the man that she loved more than anything in the world with her jealousy, and she was miserable. Of course Punk wouldn't cheat on her with Lita, he loved her. If only she had kept her mouth shut.

The sound of the door opening reached her ears but Mel didn't look up. Instead she mumbled, "Go away."

"You're kicking me out for the second time today?" a familiar voice responded.

Mel's head snapped up, and her eyes filled with fresh tears when she saw Punk standing there. He had a bouquet of a dozen beautiful red roses in one hand and a stuffed penguin in the other. The duffel bag full of his stuff sat at his feet.

"You came back," she whispered, slowly getting off of the bed.

"I came back," Punk agreed with a warm smile.

That smile broke Mel's self control, and she flew into his arms, crying hard. Punk set the bouquet and penguin down and wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair soothingly. "Shh, it's okay," he murmured. "I'm here."

"I thought you left forever," Mel whispered, tears soaking his shirt.

"Of course not," he said softly, placing a kiss to the top of her head. "One stupid little fight could never make me leave you. I love you."

"I love you too," Mel whispered back, squeezing her eyes shut and managing to relax. "I love you so much."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Mel's rivalry with Nikki Bella did not start off on the right foot. For one thing, Nikki was stubborn and arrogant and wanted to control every aspect of their feud, right down to what Mel would wear to the ring. She even told Mel that she should get a new finisher, so that it would look much more "realistic" that she would be able to pin her. It was really grinding down Mel's patience, and she was at the point now where she wanted to smack the stupid right out of the Bella.

"Nikki, for the last time, I am not changing my gear," Mel said through clenched teeth.

"But it's so ugly," Nikki replied, eying Mel's purple and gold ring gear. "Can't you just change it a little bit?"

The two Divas were sitting in Catering, attempting to work out the details of their upcoming match. Or at least Mel was. Nikki seemed to more interested in critiquing Mel's attire.

"There's nothing wrong with my gear," Mel snapped, spinning a water bottle between her hands. Her purple top with the gold straps that twisted around her bare abdomen, purple short shorts with a glittery gold belt, and purple and gold knee-high wrestling boots were loved not only by the fans, but by Mel herself. It was her signature look.

"Sweetheart, there is plenty wrong with your gear," Nikki persisted, speaking to Mel as if she were a child.

"So what do you want me to do, Nikki?" Mel growled, tightening her grip around the water bottle and crunching it. "Wear a whorish outfit and cheap sneakers to the ring like you?"

Nikki's face flushed, and Mel realized how cruel that had sounded. "Nikki..."

"I'll see you in the ring," Nikki said, standing up abruptly. She hurried off down the hallway, her long shiny hair flying behind her.

Mel sighed and fought the urge to throw her water bottle. Even though Nikki had been acting like a bitch, she didn't have to go and say that to her.

"Mel, you're up," a techie said, poking his head around the corner and looking at her.

Mel nodded to show that she had heard and stood up, tossing her abused water bottle in the trash can nearby as she passed. Even though she and Nikki didn't get along, they couldn't let that impact their match. They had to go out there and have the best one possible.

The referee's hand slapped the mat three times, and the crowd roared as Mel got to her feet. The ref handed her her belt and held up her arm in victory while she beamed at the crowd. Nikki played her part and rolled around on the mat in pain before rolling out of the ring and retreating up the ramp. Mel hopped up into one of the corners to celebrate one last time.

Music suddenly hit behind her, and Mel froze as she recognized the theme. This wasn't part of the script...

She hopped off of the ropes and turned around, her hazel eyes widening in shock as Brock Lesnar made his way to the ring, Paul Heyman trailing his heels like an adoring puppy. Brock climbed the steel steps and ducked into the ring, his cold eyes fixed on the brunette Diva the entire time. Mel backed away until her back struck the turnbuckle, her entire body trembling with fear. She clutched the title to her chest as Brock approached, beginning to fear the worst.

The crowd erupted, and Mel didn't understand what was happening until Brock was yanked away from her. She gasped when she saw Punk hitting Lesnar relentlessly, driving him away from her. None of this was supposed to happen. It was all falling apart.

The crowd was eating it up, however. They chanted Punk's name as he and Brock continued to brawl, throwing each other all over the ring. Punk kicked Brock in the head, dazing him, and raced over to Mel. "Go, go, go," he said, pushing her toward the ropes.

Mel quickly scrambled through the ropes and dropped down to the outside of the ring. She turned to look for Punk, only to see Brock charging at him full speed. As he passed, Mel seized his ankle, and the Beast fell flat on his face. Punk jumped to the floor outside of the ring and grabbed Mel's hand, then took off up the ramp, tugging her along with him.

"What the hell was that?" Mel panted as soon as they were safely through the curtain backstage. Even though Brock and Heyman were still out in the ring, Punk kept running, clutching her hand tightly in his.

"I don't know," he said, whipping around a corner and nearly crashing into Jimmy Uso. "But I'm not hanging around to find out."

They burst out through the back doors of the arena, and Punk yanked the passenger door of his rental car open and helped her inside, his green eyes darting around the parking lot while she got in. Then he shut her door and ran around to the drivers' side, sliding in and starting the car. He pulled out of the parking lot and onto the highway, hitting the gas.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked while he drove, barely controlled anger in his voice. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles were white.

"No," Mel answered, a little shaken up. "You stopped him."

All of the tension seemed to drain out of his body, and he shot her a quick glance, his eyes soft. "I knew that that wasn't supposed to happen."

"Why would he come out?" Mel questioned, hugging herself. She was still in her ring gear, and she had gotten a sudden chill.

"I don't know," Punk replied, turning the heat in the car up. "It might have something to do with my little altercation with Paul yesterday."

"Maybe," Mel murmured, leaning her head against the window and watching the buildings go flying by. A feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that something was off.

Punk pulled into the parking lot of the hotel ten minutes later and shut the car off, then turned to face her. "Hey, don't worry," he said softly, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"I know," Mel whispered, placing a kiss on his palm. "I trust you, Wolverine."

"You were supposed to teach her a lesson!"

Paul Heyman watched the figure pacing back and forth with something close to annoyance in his eyes. Even though he was being paid well for this, he didn't like it when people scolded him. "We didn't expect Punk to come running out like a knight in shining armor and save her," he pointed out, sounding disgusted with the Straight Edge Superstar.

"I should have known that he'd come save his little whore," the other person growled.

"Relax," Paul said, waving his hand dismissively. "We'll get her."

"Of course," Lita said, stopping her pacing and stepping out from the shadows, eyes gleaming. "After all, there's always a Plan B."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Mel and Punk went to the arena the next day for the Smackdown taping, having decided the night before that they weren't going to let the incident with Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman affect their lives. The problem was, certain people weren't too happy with them for rushing out so quickly. As it turned out, there had been an important meeting after the show, and the two of them had been the only ones to miss it.

It was Kofi Kingston who brought this to their attention as soon as they entered the arena. "Hey, just to let you guys know, Vince and Trips aren't too happy with you two," the talented high flier informed them.

Mel looked at Punk, concern in her hazel eyes. It had never even crossed her mind that their leaving might have angered the higher-ups of the company.

"What are they angry about?" Punk asked, even though deep down he already knew. He mentally kicked himself for not thinking ahead. All he had been concerned about was Mel's safety, and now he had gotten them both in trouble.

"They didn't like that you two just ran out yesterday," Kofi replied, his tone of voice suggesting that he found it just as ridiculous as they did.

"But Brock was going to hurt me," Mel exclaimed, sounding upset.

"I know, and I think it's stupid for them to be angry," Kofi told her, trying to calm her down. "I just wanted to let you guys know so it didn't blindside you."

"Thanks Kof, we really appreciate it," Punk said sincerely. Kofi was one of the very few friends that he had in the company.

"No problem man," Kofi replied, slapping the tattooed man lightly on the shoulder. "Take care." He headed off down the hallway in the direction of his locker room.

"Wolverine, what do we do?" Mel asked, looking up at her boyfriend anxiously. He always knew what to do, he would come up with something.

"I guess we just act like everything's normal for now," Punk responded, knowing that she needed him to reassure her. "If they want to talk to us, which I suspect they will, they'll do it after the taping."

Mel nodded; this reasoning made sense to her. "Who do you face?" she questioned.

"Luke Harper," Punk answered, and Mel shuddered as the image of the creepy member of the Wyatt Family popped into her head. "How about you?"

"Brie," Mel said. "To further my rivalry with Nikki."

"That will be a good match. You and Brie have good chemistry," Punk pointed out, trying to take his girlfriend's mind off of the impending scolding from Vince McMahon and Triple H.

Mel smiled brightly. "Thank you, Wolverine."

"No problem," Punk said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Now, I have to go get ready for my match that's in a few minutes, and you need to go meet with Brie to discuss yours."

"Okay Wolverine," Mel said sweetly.

Punk smiled and kissed her softly, then headed off to get ready for his match.

"Punk, Mel. Vince would like to see you in his office."

Punk and Mel exchanged glances as the techie rushed off to fulfill other duties. They had both been expecting this, but the moment almost seemed to have arrived too soon.

"Come on," Punk said, standing and holding his hand out to Mel. "Let's get this over with."

Mel also stood up and nervously took Punk's hand. He had been right; Vince had called for them as soon as the taping was over. But then again, Punk was almost always right.

The two of them walked hand-in-hand to Vince's office, neither of them letting go even when they walked in.

Vince looked up from the papers that he had been flipping through, his gaze hardening when he saw who was there. "Have a seat," he said, gesturing to the two empty chairs in front of his desk.

They took their seats, still holding each others' hands tightly.

"So," Vince began, leaning forward on the mahogany surface of his desk. "Would either of you care to explain to me why you rushed out of the arena last night, missing an important roster meeting in the process?"

Mel found herself tongue-tied and unable to speak, but lucky for her Punk was never at a loss for words. "I would think the reason for that is pretty obvious," he said coolly, the look he gave Vince making it clear that he was not happy with being called into his office. "Brock Lesnar attacked Mel. I wanted to get her to safety. End of story."

Vince took a deep breath and then said, "Look, I understand that Brock wasn't supposed to be out there, and I've already spoken to him about that, but you still can't just walk out of here. You had a job to do and you didn't do it. Either of you."

"She was being attacked!" Punk exclaimed angrily.

Vince just held up his hand for silence and continued, "So, it's because of that that I'm suspending both of you for a week. You're to stay in your hotel rooms and not come within twenty feet of the arena until that week is up. Do you understand?"

"I understand that you're blowing Lesnar's dick," Punk blurted out.

Vince's face darkened with anger, but before he could respond the door to his office swung open and Lita burst in, much to Mel's dismay.

"What are you doing here?" Vince snapped, clearly irritated. "I'm in the middle of something."

"I'm here because of this," Lita said, tossing a plastic baggie of something onto Vince's desk.

"What's this?" Vince asked, picking it up with a confused look on his face.

"It's marijuana," Lita replied. "I found it in Mel's locker."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"What the hell is this?" Vince demanded, glaring at Mel. His eyes were full of anger and his fingers curled into fists.

"I don't know," Mel gasped, her heart racing in her chest. "I've never seen that before in my life!"

"She's lying," Lita snarled viciously, her eyes flashing. "I found it in her locker, right on top of her duffle bag!"

"It's not mine!" Mel cried, tears filling her eyes. She couldn't believe that this was happening. She had never done drugs before in her life. Lita was lying, Vince _had _to see that.

Vince looked from Lita to Mel and then back to Lita, looking uncertain.

"Oh come on, Vince!" Punk exploded suddenly, standing up from his chair. "I know Mel! She would never use drugs!"

"Well, perhaps you don't know her as well as you think," Vince replied, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger and letting out a heavy sigh, as though this whole debacle was exhausting him. "I guess I'm just going to have to make an example."

"M-Make an example?" Mel stammered. That didn't sound too good...

"Vince," Punk started to say.

"Shut up, Punk," Vince snapped, and shockingly, Punk obeyed. Mel had a feeling that it was because he didn't want to get her in more trouble.

"What are you going to do with her, Vince?" Lita asked, sounding smug.

Vince looked at Mel, who stared back at him with pleading eyes.

"Mel," he said, taking a deep breath. "You're fired."

Silence.

Mel couldn't breathe. She couldn't speak. She could only sit there and stare at Vince McMahon. Her former boss.

It was Punk who broke the silence. "WHAT THE FUCK?! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU, YOU SENILE OLD MAN?!"

"Punk, sit your ass back down in that chair before I fire you too," Vince barked at him.

That threat snapped Mel out of the daze that she was in, and she grabbed Punk's wrist. "It's okay," she said quietly, feeling numb inside. "I'll just go."

"But you didn't do anything wrong," Punk protested, looking upset that he couldn't stop what was happening.

"He won't believe me," Mel said sadly. "So I'll just go."

"But..." Punk felt so helpless. This was all so fucked up. He knew that his Melly would never do such a thing. The only problem was, he couldn't prove it. "I'll go with you," he said, shooting an icy glare at Vince. "Some people here don't deserve my time."

Vince didn't argue; instead he looked back down at his papers, seeming almost ashamed.

"Come on," Punk murmured, taking Mel's hand. He led her out of the office, a triumphant Lita smirking at them from the doorway.

"This is ridiculous," Punk fumed as he swiped the key card through the lock of their room. "Everyone on the roster knows that you've never touched any drugs in your entire life." He shoved the door open and went inside, a dejected Mel following closely at his heels.

"I guess Vince doesn't," she mumbled, sittinf on the bed. She felt like shit. Losing her job was the worst thing that could have ever happened to her. She loved being a WWE Diva.

"It was Lita," Punk ranted, pacing back and forth in front of her. "She planted those drugs. I know she did."

"Even if she did, we have no way to prove it," Mel sighed. "I'm so tired. Will you hand me my pajamas, Wolverine? They're in my suitcase." She pointed at the corner of the room.

"Sure," Punk said, moving over to the corner. This wasn't fair. Mel worked harder than any other Diva on the roster, and she got fired because of some bitchy ex-girlfriend.

He was about to reach for her penguin pajamas when something caught his eye. "Hey, babe? Didn't Lita say that she found the marijuana on top of your duffel?"

"Yeah," Mel grumbled. "Why?"

Punk turned to look back at her. "Because your duffel is sitting right here."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Vince!"

Vince McMahon looked up as CM Punk burst through the door of his office, excitement blazing in the emerald depths of his eyes. He was holding something in his hand, but he couldn't see what it was over the bulking mass of his desk. Vince decided that it didn't really matter; the only thing that did matter was that Punk was here, which meant that he couldn't finish his paperwork and go back to the hotel for some sleep.

"What is it now, Punk?" Vince sighed, rubbing his eyes. They were burning from lack of sleep, and the drama from a few hours ago had left him with a pounding headache. He wasn't in the mood for this shit.

"I have something that you need to see," Punk replied, and then he dropped a purple duffel bag onto Vince's desk, right on top of his paperwork.

The Chairman frowned, obviously irritated. "What's so important about a duffel bag that you had to barge in here in the middle of the night and disrupt me from my work?"

Punk looked at him as though he were an idiot and said, "Don't you remember what happened earlier?"

"If you mean when I fired Mel, yes, I do," Vince answered, leaning back in his chair. He had sort of expected Punk to come and argue for Mel's job, but he hadn't expected it to happen tonight.

"Lita said that she found the drugs sitting on top of Mel's duffel," Punk explained, pushing the duffel across the desk toward Vince. "That's impossible, because I found Mel's duffel sitting in her room when we got back to the hotel. Lita's story is bullshit."

Vince sat there for a moment, staring at the bag. He was too exhausted to comprehend this. All he wanted was to get back to his own room, crawl into bed, and sleep for a couple of hours. "Maybe Lita mixed up where she found the drugs," he said, running a hand over his balding head. "I find it hard to believe that she would lie about something like this."

"Of course she would," Punk snapped, unable to believe what he was hearing. "Lita has it in for Mel. Don't you remember a couple of weeks ago when they got into a fight? All of the witnesses said that Lita had started it." Punk's eyes hardened suddenly. "Of course, you sent Mel home instead of Lita. I guess it shouldn't surprise me that you would take her word over the word of the hardest working Diva in this company."

"Ex-Diva," Vince corrected him. "And I'm not taking anyone's side. I'm simply pointing out that there are holes in your defense."

"And there holes in Lita's story," Punk growled. "But you seem to be blind to those."

Vince's mood seemed to shift, and Punk knew that he had angered him. Not that he cared at the moment.

"You can show yourself out now," Vince said coolly. "I trust you know where the door is."

Anger welled up inside of Punk, and he barely restrained himself from screaming all of the obscenities in his vocabulary at his boss. "Yeah I do," he responded, his tone just as cold. "You would do well to remember that." He snatched the duffel off of Vince's desk and whipped around, stalking out into the hallway and slamming the door to Vince's office shut so hard that the pane of glass set in it rattled.

This was unbelievable. He had come here totally confident that the duffel bag would make Vince see the flaws in Lita's story and hire Mel back, but Vince had his head so far up his own ass that he was blinded to the truth.

Fuming, Punk stormed down the hallway past the locker rooms, heading for the front doors. The arena was deserted, with no one around but a couple of janitors, Vince, and himself. Punk was so used to hearing the roar of a crowd in the background that the quiet was almost unsettling.

One particular door to the right caught his eye; it was cracked open a little, with light spilling out into the shadowy hallway. The sound of low voices drifted out. Someone was in there.

His curiosity getting the better of him, Punk crept up to the door and stood there, listening hard.

"...got the little bitch fired," a very familiar female voice laughed. "Vince didn't even question me."

Lita. Punk ground his teeth together and forced himself to stay where he was.

"I told you the plan would work," another voice said, this one male and also recognizable. It was Paul Heyman. "Sending Brock out to scare them worked like a charm as well. They ran just like I knew they would. Vince was already angry because of that, which made it a perfect time to strike with the drug accusation."

"You're an evil genius," Lita said admiringly.

"Oh, you flatter me," Paul replied, sounding pleased. "It was the least I could do. After all, I leap at any chance to make CM Punk's life a living hell."

"I think this partnership is going to work brilliantly," Lita said, a triumphant note to her tone. "At this rate, we'll have the two of them split up in no time. Mel will be unemployed and living on welfare, and Punk will be back at my side where he belongs. Then we can rule this place just like we did before that little whore came on the scene."

"All in due time, my dear," Paul responded. "But we still have plenty of work to do. Let's meet again tomorrow to discuss our next move."

"Okay, sounds like a plan," Lita agreed. "Now, I'm going to go back to my room and get some beauty sleep."

"As will I," Paul said.

There were the sounds of chairs scraping back, and Punk realized that they were getting up. Looking around, he spotted a supply closet directly across the hallway. He darted over to it and reached for the doorknob, praying that it wasn't locked. It wasn't, much to his relief, and he slipped inside and pulled the door quietly shut just as the door to the locker room swung all the way open.

Only when the sound of their footsteps receded did Punk crack the supply closet door open, and after checking to make sure that the coast was clear he stepped back out into the dark hallway. His head was spinning with what he had just learned and an intense rage was building within them.

So Paul Heyman and Lita thought that they could destroy his life, did they?

Well, two could play at that game.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"They said what?" Mel gasped.

She and Punk were sitting on the bed in her hotel room, discussing what he had heard at the arena in hushed tones. Mel had known that something was wrong the moment that he burst into the room out of breath and with an angry gleam in his eyes. But now that he told her what had happened, she was astonished. This was bigger than she ever could have imagined.

"They were talking about getting you fired," Punk said heatedly. "They did it, babe. They set you up. Lita was talking about you losing your job and getting me back, and Paul...well, he just wanted to ruin my life. But the point is, it was them."

Mel shook her head in disbelief. She had known for a long time that Lita hated her, but she never suspected that she hated her so much that she teamed up with Paul Heyman to try and get rid of her. That was a new low, even for Lita. "What do we do?" she asked anxiously.

"We have to go to Vince with this," Punk replied, shifting his position on the bed every couple of seconds, as if he was too infuriated to sit still. "We have to tell him."

"But he'll never believe us," Mel pointed out. "We have no proof. It'll be your word against theirs, and Lita pretty much has Vince in her back pocket, although God only knows why."

Something about what she said stuck with Punk, and he said, "Yeah...why does he always listen to her? What dirt does she have on him?"

Mel shrugged. "Must be something pretty incriminating if it's causing the boss to submit to an ex-Diva."

A plan began to take shape in Punk's mind, and excitement grew quickly inside of him as he thought the idea over more. "You know...if we can retrieve whatever blackmail Lita has against Vince and return it to him, he'll owe us a great debt..." he mused.

Mel blinked, suddenly realizing what he was getting at. "And then he'll give me my job back?"

"It's a stretch," Punk admitted. "But it just might work."

Mel thought it over. At first the idea seemed ludicrous, but the more she pondered it the more it began to make sense. Punk was right; it was crazy enough to actually work. "The problem is, we don't know what she has on him," she reminded her boyfriend. "How can we get back something that we don't even know about?"

"There has to be some way," Punk muttered. "I could sneak back there tomorrow night and listen in again."

"It's too risky; you'll get caught eventually, and then they'll know that we're on to them," Mel responded with a shake of her head. "There has to be some other way..."

"Well I can't think of any," Punk sighed, sounding exhausted. "Let me know if you can."

Mel looked at him then, and she realized just how tired he looked. There were dark bags under his eyes and his shoulders were slumped. He looked like he hadn't had a good night's sleep in weeks. "Wolverine, when was the last time you slept?" she asked, sounding concerned.

"Two days ago," Punk replied with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "It's no big deal. I've gone longer."

Mel was horrified. "Lay down," she fretted, pushing him gently down onto the bed. "Get some rest."

"I don't need rest," Punk protested, starting to sit up again. "I need to get this mess taken care of and get you your job back."

"That can wait until tomorrow," Mel said firmly, pushing him back down again. "Right now you need to sleep, and so do I."

Punk thought about arguing some more, but then he saw the fierce look in her hazel eyes and knew that it would be futile. Once Mel set her mind to something, she was determined to see it through to the end. It was one of the many things he loved about her. And besides, he really could use the rest. Even as he lay there, his eyes grew heavy and his eyelids began to drift closed. His breathing started to even out, and he reached out his arms to her, wanting to feel the reassuring weight of her against his chest.

Mel saw him reaching for her, and her heart warmed at the sight. She quickly stripped off her clothes and tugged on some pajamas, and then she climbed into the warm circle of Punk's arms. She pulled the blankets up over the both of them and snuggled into his chest, hearing his heart beat loudly under her ear. It was a very relaxing sound.

Punk ran his fingers through her hair, his eyes already closed. He felt the silkiness of the strands, letting them slide between his fingers. The vanilla scent of her body wash enveloped him, and he allowed himself to bask in it. It was Mel's unique scent, and he adored it almost as much as he did her.

Mel could feel him relaxing, and she placed a gentle kiss on his chest, right beneath the dip of his collarbone. "Go to sleep, Wolverine," she whispered to him. "I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere."

Her words soothed him, and he quickly sank into the blissful darkness of deep sleep, holding her tight.

Mel heard his steady breathing and she knew that he had finally fallen asleep, and she lowered herself back onto the pillows and wrapped her arms around him, holding him almost as tightly as he was holding her. She nuzzled her face into his chest and inhaled his scent, immediately comforted by his smell. She suddenly grew very drowsy, and she closed her eyes and allowed herself to go to sleep, immersing herself in her dreams. Her Wolverine was there of course.

He always was.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

The next few days were tough for Mel. She wasn't used to sitting in her hotel room with nothing to do; she had always been going somewhere before she got fired, whether it was to the arena or to the gym. Being unable to wrestle was making her restless and irritable, and she often found herself pacing the length of her room just so she was moving. It was unbearable.

Punk was there, of course, but he was still employed with the company, so he was gone most of the day at signings and meetings. The only time Mel saw him anymore was early in the morning and late at night. It got to be very lonely.

There was TV, but Mel had never really been much of a television watcher, and she usually grew bored after just an hour of it. She had read all of the books that she carried with her in the span of two days, so reading was out of the question. All that she could really do was sit by the window and watch the traffic and people go by on the street below. She was trying her best, but she knew that she couldn't take much more of this. She was going to go insane.

"So I've been thinking about how we can get you your job back," Punk said one evening after he got back from a signing.

Mel's eyes lit up. "You have a plan?" she asked excitedly.

"Well no, not yet," Punk admitted, tossing his hoodie onto the back of a chair and coming over to sit on the bed next to her.

The spark of hope left Mel's hazel eyes immediately, and she slumped back against the headboard once again. "I can't take much more of this, Wolverine," she complained. "There's nothing to do. I'm going stir-crazy. I need my job back."

"I know," Punk sighed. "I've been keeping a close eye on Lita and Paul, but neither of them have done anything suspicious. They haven't held any other meetings either. There's nothing I can use for proof."

"Of course they haven't," Mel mumbled, struggling to keep the tears in her eyes from overflowing. It was just her luck that Lita and Heyman had decided to put their evil plans on hold for the time being.

Punk noticed her distress. "The girls miss you," he told her, referring to the other WWE Divas. "Summer told me that it's way too quiet now. It's just not the same without you there. Brie and Alicia even went to Vince and begged him to hire you again, but Lita has him too far in her pocket. He refused and then made them job to Aksana and Tamina."

Mel shook her head. In a way, what Vince did didn't really surprise her, but it still made her angry. "This is getting out of hand," she said. "What could Lita possibly have on him to force him to do all of this stuff?"

"I don't know, but it has to be something bad," Punk replied.

"Maybe he cheated on his wife," Mel suggested.

"Maybe," Punk said distantly. He didn't think that Vince cheated on his wife, though. It had to be something bigger, something that would make the Chairman of the company bow down to Lita's every command. The answer was right there at the back of his mind, but he couldn't seem to grab onto it. It was extremely frustrating.

Mel was still listing off possibilities. "Maybe he killed someone."

Punk laughed, amused. "I don't think Vince has ever killed anyone. He may be scary, but he doesn't strike me as a murderer."

"You never know," Mel said stubbornly. "They say it's the ones who you'd never expect that you need to watch out for."

"I'll try and remember that the next time I'm alone in a room with him," Punk responded, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

Mel grinned and pushed him playfully, hoping he would push her back and they would get into one of their play fights. But she was disappointed when he stood up instead.

"I have to get back to the arena for the taping," he said, snatching up his hoodie and tugging it on.

"Oh," Mel said sadly. She hated it when he left her; it only made the silence much more noticeable.

Punk could see that she was sad, and he knew that his leaving took its toll on her. If it were up to him, he would stay with her forever, but it wasn't. He had to do his job, whether he liked it or not. "I'll be back soon," he promised, stooping to press a gentle kiss to her lips.

"I know," Mel replied once they had broken apart. "You always promise you'll come back, and you always do."

"That's because I could never leave you," Punk told her honestly. "I love you way too much."

And then he was gone, leaving her sitting there with tears trickling down her cheeks, wishing desperately that she could go with him.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Once he arrived at the arena for the Smackdown taping, Punk decided to snoop around for any evidence that he could use against Paul and Lita. He had about an hour before the taping was going to start, and he was confident that he could find something in that amount of time.

The first place he went was Lita's locker room. She hadn't arrived yet and the door was unlocked, so he waited until no one was looking and slipped inside. Once he was in, he immediately started rummaging through drawers, searching for something, _anything_, that would prove Mel to be innocent.

He was flipping through a bunch of papers that he had found in her locker when a voice behind him said, "Well, well, isn't this a lovely surprise."

Punk sucked in a sharp breath and slowly turned to face the owner of the voice. "Lita."

A smirk tugged at the corner of the ex-Diva's mouth. "Glad to see you still remember my name," she said bitterly. "I would have thought that you'd forget it by now."

"Hard to forget the name of the person who set my girlfriend up and got her fired," Punk replied coldly. He tossed the stack of papers onto a bench and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Lita put a hand over her heart, feigning a look of hurt. "Why Punk, how can you accuse me of such a thing?"

"I'll do more than just accuse," Punk snarled. "As soon as I find evidence, I'm going to take it straight to Vince and have you fired."

Lita laughed, and it was a confident and mocking sound. "You really think that's going to work?" she asked. "Please. I have Vince wrapped around my finger."

A light bulb went off above Punk's head, and he almost grinned at the idea that had just occurred to him. If it there was anything that Lita was proud of, it would be her own cunning. "I noticed," he said, taking a seat on the bench next to the stack of papers. "It's very impressive that you managed to do that."  
Punk could almost see Lita's chest swell up with pride, and she nodded eagerly. "I thought so too," the red-headed woman said smugly.

"Very impressive," Punk repeated, tapping his chin in a ponderous matter. "It would take something really big to be able to bring Vince McMahon to his knees."

"Oh it was," Lita replied, her eyes gleaming. "It really was."  
"I can't even imagine how difficult it was to obtain such information. You truly are a genius," Punk said admiringly. He was stroking her ego, but not doing it so much that she would notice and become suspicious. This was his last chance to get a lead. He couldn't blow this.

Lita didn't seem to notice all of the flattery, or if she did she didn't let on. "I know," she said arrogantly, flipping her sleek auburn hair over her shoulder, a satisfied smirk spreading over her face. "Paul said that I pulled it off perfectly. It wasn't really that hard to do. The old man is such a fool that all I had to do was butter him up a little, and he let slip that he was planning something huge..."

Punk leaned forward anxiously, waiting to hear what the secret was.

Lita's eyes flicked up to his face, and her mouth twisted with amusement. "Oh, come on now, Punk. You should know me enough to know that your little mind games don't work on me. I really had you going for a minute there, didn't I?"

Punk deflated. He was such an idiot. He thought that he had Lita right where he wanted her, when really she was the one who was playing him. She had seen right through his ruse. He just looked at her with a face set in stone, refusing to let her see how much she had disappointed him.

"You should know by now that you can't fool the master," Lita chided him, still smirking. "Oh, and feel free to keep snooping around in here. You won't find anything."

And with a cold laugh, she was gone.

"I thought I had her, I really did. I'm so stupid. She's right, I should have known better."

"Shh, don't say that," Mel murmured, running her fingers through her boyfriend's dark hair. "You're not stupid. You were brilliant. It just didn't work, that's all."

"But I need to get you your job back," Punk sighed. "It's stressing me out." He gazed up at the ceiling solemnly, his head resting in Mel's lap.

Mel felt a pang of deep sadness. Punk was doing everything he could, she knew that. She just hoped that he wouldn't wear himself out. He had his own career to think about, and she hated seeing him so sad like this. "You've done so much for me already," she whispered, placing a soft kiss on his forehead. "More than you could ever know."

Punk's eyes shifted from the ceiling to her face, hope shimmering in their emerald depths. "Really?"

"Of course," Mel replied. "You've shown me what it feels like to love."

Punk sat up on his knees and looked at her, studying her face as if he was burning it into his memory. Then he leaned forward and brushed his lips tenderly against hers. "I love you."

"I love you too," Mel said, smiling warmly at him.

Punk smiled back, feeling more at ease. She always knew just what to say to make him feel better. He would find another way to get her her job back. He knew he would.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Even though Lita had knocked him down a few pegs, Punk was still determined to find out what she had on Vince. He had found nothing in her locker room, and he didn't want to go snooping around in Paul Heyman's room just in case Brock Lesnar happened to be in there. It wasn't that he was afraid of Lesnar, he just knew that landing himself in the hospital would do Mel no good.

So, running low on options, he decided to talk to some of the other wrestlers. Surely one of them had to have noticed something strange.

"I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary, man," Dolph Ziggler replied when Punk asked him. "I just keep my head down and do my job. It makes everything a hell of a lot easier, you should try it sometime."

"Sorry Punk, I haven't noticed anything," Summer Rae said a little regretfully.

Everyone he asked seemed to have the same answer as Dolph and Summer. Randy Orton, Seth Rollins, Natalya, The Usos, The Miz. All of them said that they hadn't seen anything. It was extremely disheartening.

Finally, he got lucky when he approached Cody Rhodes and Goldust sitting in Catering. "Hey, have you guys noticed anything weird lately? Anything at all?"

Cody and Goldust exchanged a glance so quick that Punk would have missed it had he not been watching so closely.

"Well..." Cody began.

"Cody," Goldust warned, shooting his younger brother a sharp look that instantly put Punk on the alert.

"What?" he demanded, looking from one brother to the other. "Do you guys know something?"

"No," Goldust answered immediately, taking a bite out of his burrito and avoiding Punk's eyes.

"We have to tell him," Cody told him. "It might be important."

Goldust didn't reply.

Cody took that as a sign of consent and turned in his seat so that he was facing Punk. "There's something up with our paychecks. We're the tag team champions, but we're being paid a ridiculously low amount. Now, I know that we're not anywhere near the status of WWE or World Heavyweight champions, but we're still supposed to be paid more because we hold the titles." He tapped the copper-faced title belt that sat on the table next to his forgotten power bar.

Punk frowned. That was weird. One of the perks of being a champion was getting a raise in your paycheck for as long as you held the title. It was one of the reasons why everyone worked so hard to get a title shot. "I'll look into it," he told the youngest Rhodes. "And thanks for your help."

"No problem," Cody replied, returning to his snack. Goldust shook his head disapprovingly but remained mute.

Now having a lead to go on, Punk headed to Hunter Hearst-Helmsly's office. He and Trips didn't really get along, but he was the closest man to Vince and he could have some answers.

Hunter looked shocked when he opened his office door and saw Punk standing there, and not without reason. Punk usually did everything he could to avoid this particular office.

"I know, I'm amazed that I'm here too," the Straight Edge Superstar quipped before pushing his way inside and plopping down in one of the lush chairs that sat in front of Hunter's polished desk.

Hunter shut the door and then sat down in his own chair. "Um...can I help you with something?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact you can," Punk answered, leaning back and propping his feet up on Hunter's desk. The COO frowned and pushed them off. "Ah, I get it, you're a neat freak. Don't worry, I didn't scuff your wood. What is that, by the way? Oak? Mahogany?"

"Just get on with it, Punk," Hunter said irritably.

"Well, after asking around a bit, I discovered that certain wrestlers' paychecks have dropped dramatically. Care to explain that?"

Hunter's eyes narrowed. "Really? Who told you that?"

Punk cocked his head and studied Hunter, but gave no reply. He wasn't going to sell out Cody.

"Well," Hunter continued when he saw that Punk wasn't going to tell him, "we are currently in the middle of some budget cuts, and that's why some of the paychecks have been cut down. It's only temporary."

"But why would you take away money from the wrestlers?" Punk asked. "Why not cut down on some other expenses first? Some less important ones?"

"That's none of your concern," Hunter responded coolly. "The last I checked, I was COO, not you."

A sharp retort rose to Punk's lips, but he bit his tongue, telling himself that he couldn't blow this. Mel's job hung in the balance. "Thank you for your time, Hunter," Punk said as he stood up, forcing himself to be civil.

Hunter blinked, clearly surprised that Punk hadn't bitten his head off as expected. "Right."  
Punk left his office with more questions than answers. It just didn't make sense that the first thing they would do was take money away from the wrestlers. They were what kept this company alive. And budget cuts? The old man had billions, why in the hell would there need to be budget cuts?

He was still pondering this as he swiped the key card to the hotel room he shared with Mel. The instant he pushed the door open, something small and compact smacked right into him. "Oof!"

Mel giggled. "Sorry, Wolverine." She had her slim arms wrapped around his waist, and she grinned up at him when he looked down at her.

"It's alright, love," Punk chuckled, closing the door behind him. "You just surprised me."  
"I missed you!" Mel chirped, not wanting to let go of him. Punk scooped her up and tossed her gently onto the bed before flopping down onto his back beside her.

"I missed you too," he told the petite brunette, smiling warmly.

Mel snuggled into his side happily, then blinked up at him. "You look tired, Wolverine. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," he answered, stroking her hair. "Just thinking about some stuff."

"Okay, as long as you're alright," Mel said. She yawned and shifted closer to him before closing her eyes and immediately drifting off to sleep. Punk smiled when he saw this; Mel could fall asleep at the drop of a hat.

As he held her close, all of his thoughts and concerns faded away into the background, and he allowed himself to sink peacefully into sleep's warm embrace.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"Hey babe?" Punk said the next morning. He was sitting on the end of the bed in a pair of sweatpants, his hair a mess and a thoughtful look in his emerald eyes. He had been pondering yesterday's events ever since he had woken up, but he felt that he was still miles away from the answer.

"Hm?" Mel murmured, sitting up among the tangled sheets and crawling toward him. She placed a soft kiss on his bare shoulder and then rested her chin there.

"If you were in charge of the WWE and you had to do budget cuts, would you cut down on the wrestlers' paychecks first?"

Mel snorted. "No. That would be the last thing I would do."

Punk chewed the inside of his lip, his brow furrowed. "What do you think would make them?"

Mel shrugged and got off of the bed. "I don't know. Maybe they needed that money for something else."

"But Vince has billions," Punk said, running a hand through his hair and blowing out a sigh. "There's no reason for him to be making budget cuts, unless..." He stopped abruptly, and suddenly it all seemed crystal clear. "Holy shit."

"What is it?" Mel asked from where she stood by the dresser, concern in her hazel eyes.

Punk turned to face her. "Vince has been taking money out of the paychecks to spend on himself. That's the secret that Lita knows."

"What?" Mel exclaimed, astonished. "But Vince is rich. Why would he do that?"

"Maybe he's already spent all of his money," Punk explained, getting more and more excited as the truth unraveled itself before him. "He spent it too fast and now it's all gone, so he's stealing money from the wrestlers."

"But why would he need all of that money?" Mel asked. "What could he possibly have to spend it on?"

"Maybe he has a problem," Punk said, jumping up and pacing the length of the room. "An addiction. But what?" He tugged at his hair, his mind spinning and whirling.

"Gambling," Mel said abruptly.

Punk froze and whipped around to look at her. "What did you just say?"

"Gambling," she repeated.

And that was it. All of the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. The answer that he had been agonizing over for so long was right there, so obvious to him now.

Punk let out a loud laugh and crossed the room, sweeping her into his arms. "You are a genius!" He spun her around, Mel giggling like crazy. He set her on her feet and kissed her deeply. "You...are...a...genius..." he repeated in between kisses.

Mel giggled again before pulling back to look at him. "So what now?"

"Now I go to Vince and let him know that I know his little secret," Punk said excitedly. "He'll have no choice but to give you your job back."

Mel smiled and kissed him again. "I knew you would figure it out," she whispered. "I never had a doubt."

The day seemed so much brighter when Punk arrived at the arena. Suddenly anything seemed possible. He could see what was about to happen in his mind. He would march into Vince's office, reveal that he knew his little secret, and then demand Mel's job back. Then Melly would be back where she belonged, and Lita would have to shut the hell up.

He walked straight to Vince's office as soon as he entered the building and rapped on the door. There was a moment's pause, and then the door opened. Punk strolled right in without even a glance at who had opened the door. "Vince, we need to talk."

"Okay Punk," a voice from behind him said. "Go ahead and talk."

Punk froze and turned slowly to see Lita standing there.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"What the hell are you doing here?" Punk demanded. God, he was so sick of her popping up everywhere. He just wanted her to crawl back into the hole that she had come out of.

"How rude," Lita tsked. "Is this how you talk to a woman?" She strolled over and took a seat in one of the chairs in front of Vince's desk, a gleam in her eyes.

"Whether you're actually a woman is still to be decided," Punk said coldly.

"You of all people would know, Punk," Lita responded, smirking.

"Enough," Vince snapped, sounding extremely exasperated. There were dark bags under his eyes, and he looked as if he hadn't slept in weeks. Looking at him, Punk finally realized just how old he was. "What's this all about?"

Punk turned to face him, and when he spoke his voice held a sharp edge. "I know your little secret."

Vince's entire demeanor changed in an instant. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his eyes hard as he looked at the Straight Edge Superstar. "What are you talking about?"

"He's bluffing," Lita said immediately, shooting a glance at Vince. "He doesn't know anything. _I'm _the one who knows. You'd do well to remember that."

"Oh, but I do know," Punk said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Mel and I figured it out."

"Mel," Lita spat, her voice full of venom. "She doesn't know shit."

"She knows more than you," Punk growled, glaring at her. He hated Lita so much, especially when she badmouthed the love of his life.

"What do you know?" Vince asked, staring at Punk. His voice was slow and level, but there was a dangerous undercurrent to it.

"I know that you've been using the money that's supposed to be going to the wrestlers to feed your gambling addiction," Punk said bluntly. He was tired of beating around the bush. He was done playing games.

Vince's jaw clenched tightly, and for a second Punk swore that he saw fear pass through his eyes. Then it was gone, and the Chairman was formidable once again. "Alright," he said, leaning forward on his desk. "Let's talk terms."

"What?" Lita exclaimed, astonished. "Vince, you can't possibly-"

"Shut up," Vince cut her off. He kept his eyes fixed on Punk the whole time. "What's it going to take for you to keep silent about this?"  
Punk opened his mouth, and he was so close to telling Vince that he wanted Melly's job back. But then he thought about all of the wrestlers who were losing their well-earned paychecks because of Vince's dirty habit, and he just couldn't do it. It wouldn't be right to all of them.

"Nothing," he said finally.

"What?" Vince said, sounding incredulous. "What did you just say?" Even Lita was looking at him with a shocked expression on her face.

"I'm not keeping this silent," Punk said, looking his boss in the eyes. "My original plan was to come in here and blackmail you into giving Mel her job back, but even though I love her more than anything on this planet, I can't do that. You're stealing hard-earned money from the wrestlers who put their bodies on the line every day for you and your damn company, and I can't condone that. I will never condone that. So you can offer me whatever you like, but I refuse to be one of your puppets."

A tense silence fell in the office after Punk finished his speech, and then Vince growled, "You won't get away with this."

"Yes I will," Punk said simply, and he turned on his heel and walked out.

"I couldn't do it. I'm so sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Mel asked, running her fingers gently through Punk's hair.

"Because I couldn't get you your job back..." Punk murmured, sounding guilty.

Mel titled Punk's chin up so he was looking into her eyes. "Baby, you made a stand for what you believe in. You put Vince in his place. I am so proud of you."

"Really?" Punk whispered, gazing at her.

"Really," Mel whispered back.

Punk kissed her very softly and lovingly, and then he pulled back and looked at her again. "I need to ask you something."

"Sure baby, you can ask me anything," Mel replied, her hands on either side of his face as she gazed at him with soft eyes.

Punk brought his hand up and stroked her cheek lightly, and then he said four words that shocked Mel to her core:

"Will you marry me?"


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

"Wh-What?" Mel stammered. Her mind had gone blank; she couldn't think of anything but those four words that Punk had just spoken. Her head was spinning and it felt like her heart was beating a hundred miles an hour. Everything in her life seemed to have boiled down to this one moment, this one shocking, exciting moment.

Punk got up off of the bed, and for a moment she was afraid that he was regretting what he had just said. But then he lowered himself to one knee, and tears sprang up in her hazel eyes. She couldn't believe that this was actually happening.

"Mel," Punk said, digging around in his back pocket for something. "I know our relationship started out a bit unusual, but I've never once regretted it. Even when I was with Lita, all that I wanted to do was be with you. You're the light to my darkness, the sun to my moon, my reason to keep breathing. You're everything I've ever wanted, and I'm sorry if I haven't told you that enough. Everything about you is perfect, and I know that I won't deserve you no matter what I do, but I'm going to try anyways. I love you more than my own life. I want to be with you forever, and have a family with you, and wake up next to you for the rest of my life. You are my everything. So..." He pulled a small black velvet box out of his pocket and opened the lid to reveal a beautiful engagement ring. The band was made out of two smaller silver bands that intertwined around the diamond in the middle. It was gorgeous. "Will you marry me?"

Tears streamed down Mel's cheeks as a hand went up to cover her mouth. She had never expected this to happen. From the first time that she and Punk had shared a bed, she had always expected to be the second woman. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that he would leave Lita for her, and fall in love with her as deeply as she had fallen for him. It was such an amazing feeling.

She suddenly realized that Punk was still awaiting her answer, and she managed to choke out a breathless, "Yes. Yes, of course I will."

Punk's face lit up, and he gently took her hand and slid the ring onto her finger. Then he placed a gentle kiss on her palm and whispered, "A beautiful ring for an even more beautiful woman."

Mel melted completely, and she tugged him up onto the bed and wrapped her arms around his neck. Punk rested his forehead against hers, his emerald eyes glowing with a deep satisfaction. "Are you happy?" he murmured, tucking a strand of her brown hair behind her ear.

"Yes," Mel answered, cradling his face in her hands. "This is all I've ever wanted. You're my one and only."

"You're my one and only too," Punk replied, kissing her softly. Mel knew that he meant it; it was written all over his face.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," he whispered back immediately. "Forever."

It was hard for Punk to leave his new fiancee a few hours later, but there was work that had to be done. He got out of bed and got dressed, then tucked the blankets securely around Mel's sleeping form. He pressed a loving kiss to the smooth skin of her forehead and then slipped out of the room, making sure that the door locked behind him. With Vince pissed off at him, it was best not to take any chances.

When he walked into the arena, he knew exactly what he was going to do. He was going to go around to all of the wrestlers and let them know just why their paychecks were so low. They deserved the truth, and Vince wouldn't be able to fire him if he was removed from his position. Of course, that meant that Hunter would take over, and Punk and Hunter weren't best friends, but at least Hunter would be able to run the company better than a gambling old man.

Punk was heading for Catering when one of the techies came running up. "Punk, Mr. Helmsly wants to see you immediately."

Punk frowned. "Tell him to wait. I have something I need to do."

"He said it's urgent and you're to come at once."

"Fine," Punk spat. He hated being told what to do, especially by authority figures. He followed the techie to Hunter's office, and he took his usual seat in front of Hunter's desk. "All right. What's so important?"

Hunter folded his hands in front of him and studied Punk through hard eyes. Punk stared back at him, refusing to be intimidated even though his skin was beginning to prick with unease.

"I've gotten word that you've been snooping around here," The Game said in a flat voice. "Care to explain?"

_Well, I guess I might as well tell him,_ Punk thought. "Vince has been gambling away all of the money that's supposed to go to the wrestlers."

Hunter didn't say anything for a heartbeat, and then he said, "And?"

All of the breath seemed to exit Punk's lungs. "You _know?_"

"Of course I know," Hunter scoffed. "I know everything that goes on in this company."

"Then why didn't you do anything?" Punk demanded, anger swelling up inside of him.

"Because I'm not going to be a fool and do something that causes Vince to name someone else as his heir," Hunter responded, looking down at Punk as though he were an idiot.

"You're trying to save your stupid job?" Punk exclaimed furiously.

"I'm trying to save my future," Hunter snapped. "And we certainly can't have you running your mouth off. This can't make it to the public, Punk, do you understand me?"

"I understand that you're just a goddamn lackey," Punk spat, standing abruptly. "You can't force me to do anything." He turned and headed for the door, his blood boiling.

"How's your fiancee, Punk?" Hunter called after him.

Punk froze with his hand on the doorknob, and he turned slowly back around to face the large man. "How do you know about that?" he asked slowly.

"I told you, I know everything," Hunter replied, a hard glint in his eyes. "And it would be a shame if something were to happen to her..."

Punk got the unspoken message loud and clear. If he told anyone about Vince, Hunter would make sure that Mel paid the price.

Punk swallowed hard, suddenly feeling defeated. He was backed into a corner, with no way out.

"Alright," he said quietly. "You win. I won't tell anyone."

"That's my boy," Hunter said with a smirk.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

_It wasn't fair_, Punk couldn't help but think to himself as he walked toward the front doors of the arena. He had had all of his cards in hand, ready to lay them on the table and win the game, but Hunter had played the better card. He had known just what to say to get Punk to keep his mouth shut. Even though Punk hated the slimy bastard, he had to admit that using his love for Mel against him was ingenious.

He didn't handle defeat well, and even now he felt indignation rising up in his chest. He wanted to storm back into that office, slam Hunter up against the wall, and tell him to shove his pompous words right up his ass. But he knew that he couldn't. Mel was his priority, and he had to keep her safe, even if it meant bowing down to the old man and his doofus son-in-law.

As soon as he was in the car, Punk leaned his head back against the leather headrest of the seat and stared out the windshield at the glittering night sky. His mind was whirling, and he felt like crying. That was what surprised him the most; he hadn't cried since he was eleven and he fell off of his bike and skinned his knee.

_Men don't cry, _he thought to himself, gripping the steering wheel tightly as he pulled out of the parking lot. _They get even._

Mel was waiting for him in the hotel room, just as he knew she would be. He smiled weakly when he entered, but he knew that she could tell that something was wrong. She got up from where she had been sitting on the bed and walked over to him, concern shining bright in her hazel eyes. He noticed that she was wearing one of his shirts, and that made him feel a little happier.

"Come here," she said softly, taking his hand and leading him over to the bed. She sat on the edge, pulling him down next to her. "Tell me what happened."

Taking a deep breath, Punk began to tell her what had occurred in Hunter's office. When he had finished, Mel sat there with an unreadable look on her face.

"I'm sorry," Punk added quietly, looking at the carpeted floor. The fact that he had failed her was killing him.

"What are you sorry for?" Mel asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "You're not the jackass, Hunter is."

"I couldn't get your job back," Punk said, sounding frustrated. "I'm a failure."

"Don't say that," Mel said, her tone suddenly sharp. "The man I fell in love with would never say such a thing."

"I guess I'm not the man you fell in love with then," Punk sighed sadly.

There was a deep sorrow in Mel's eyes as she looked at him, and she found herself wondering what had made him so dejected. For the first time she realized just how much stress he had been under over the past few weeks. Maybe she had been pushing him too hard.

Mel leaned forward and kissed his cheek, and some of Punk's sadness seemed to lift. He smiled warmly at her, and Mel almost cried with joy. She hadn't seen him genuinely smile for a long time. It was a very refreshing sight.

"Don't worry, baby," she said, her tone much softer than it had been earlier. "I'll figure something out."

"This should be my job though," Punk protested. "This is my way of showing you that I can protect you."

"I know, but you've taken the entire weight of the situation on your shoulders, and you can't do it anymore," Mel said truthfully. "You're a strong man, Punk, but not strong enough for this."

Punk looked like he wanted to argue some more, but he saw the truth in her words and bit his tongue. She was right, after all. He couldn't do this alone.

"Okay," he relented. "But if anything goes wrong, anything at all, I'm taking over again. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Don't worry, baby," Mel said with a smile. "I'm capable of taking care of myself."

Punk had to laugh at that. She was right again; Mel could take on anyone who stood in her way no problem. "I know," he said, brushing his thumb lightly over the smooth skin of her cheek. "I just worry, that's all."

"And I'm glad that you do," Mel replied, leaning happily into his touch. "It shows that you care."  
"I love you."

"I love you too," Mel answered, placing a soft kiss on his lips before gently pushing him back down onto the bed. "Now get some rest. You look like you haven't slept in days."

"I haven't," Punk admitted, settling back onto the fluffy pillows that Mel was so fond of.

"Has your insomnia been acting up again?" Mel asked, worried.

"Only a little," Punk replied, closing his eyes.

"All of that would be solved if you just took the sleeping pills that the doctor prescribed you," Mel reminded him, yanking his shoes off of his feet. He hadn't gotten around to taking them off yet.

When he didn't answer, she turned around anxiously, afraid that something was wrong. But to her relief and faint amusement, he was out cold, snoring a little. She got up and put his shoes in their spot by the door, then returned to the bed and tugged the blankets up over him.

"Maybe I should have you solve mysteries more often," she whispered as she kissed his forehead.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Despite the fact that Punk had promised Mel that he would let her take care of getting her job back, he woke up early the next morning and slipped out of the hotel room while she was still sleeping. Even though he knew that she just wanted to help, he also knew that this was something that he had to do alone. He had gotten her into this mess by bringing down the wrath of Lita upon her, and now he was going to get her out of it.

He got into his car and headed for the arena, trying to fit together the pieces of the plan that had occurred to him earlier. Hunter had him pretty much backed into a corner, so there wasn't much that he could do by himself. But if he wasn't alone...

When Punk got to the arena, the first thing he did was head for Catering. He knew that most of the Superstars and Divas would be gathered there, gulping down breakfast. If his plan was going to work, he would need their help.

They all looked shocked when he walked in, and he supposed that they had all figured that he left for good. Their amazed faces amused him; they should know by now that CM Punk never gives up.

He sprang up onto the nearest table, and Justin Gabriel, The Miz, and Dolph Ziggler all cursed as they snatched their plates of food out of harm's way. Cupping his hands over his mouth, Punk called, "Attention everyone! I have something to say!"

The room fell silent, all eyes locked on him. Some of the wrestlers looked confused, some annoyed, and some vaguely interested. Once he was sure that he had their attention, he said, "Raise your hand if your paycheck has been cut down considerably in the past few weeks."

They all looked at each other, none of them wanting to be the first to say anything. Finally, Tyson Kidd raised his hand. Zack Ryder raised his hand shortly after him, and then four more wrestlers. Then all of the Divas, until all of the room had their hands raised. Even the top stars like John Cena and Randy Orton had lifted their hands, much to Punk's surprise. Vince's gambling had gone further than he had suspected.

"Thank you very much," Punk said, and they all put their hands back down. "Now, how would all of you want to get that money back?"

There was silence for a moment, and then Wade Barrett piped up from the back of the room. "And just how in the bloody hell would we do that?"

"Yeah," Ryback chimed in, his brow furrowed. "Management decides whether or not to cut our pay. There's no way we could get that money back."

"Well there must not be much money for _you _to get back," Punk said, looking at him in disgust. "I can't imagine that they would pay you too much for botching every match."

Ryback's face turned bright red with anger, and he went to stand up, but Mark Henry shoved him back down into his seat. "Don't be a fool, boy," the World's Strongest Man said sharply.

"In answer to your question, Wade," Punk replied, returning his attention to the bare knuckle brawler. "I have a proposition for all of you."  
"And what would that proposition be?" Dean Ambrose asked warily.

"As you all know, my girlfriend Mel was wrongfully fired some time ago for a crime that she did not commit," Punk announced to the crowded room. "My goal is to get her job back. If you'll all help me achieve that, I'll be more than happy to make sure that your pay is returned in full."

"How would we help you get your girl's job back?" Roman Reigns asked, leaning forward in his seat next to Dean, his dark eyes trained on Punk's face intently.

"I'm proposing a giant walkout," Punk told him, crossing his arms over his chest. When the room erupted in mutters and whispers, Punk raised his voice and said, "If we all walk out, then Hunter and Vince will be totally fucked. They'll have no one to put on Raw next week, which means that they'll be more likely to bend to our terms."

"One of those terms being that your girlfriend gets her job back," The Miz nodded.

"There, you see? He figured it out," Punk said, pointing at the Awesome One.

"But what if they just decide to hire a bunch of new wrestlers," Fandango protested. "They don't _need _us. They'll just find replacements."

"They may not need you, but they sure as hell need them," Punk responded, pointing to where Randy Orton and John Cena sat in the back. They stared at him with thoughtful looks in their eyes, but said nothing. "They're the two top stars of the company. If they left, Vince would wet his pants."

That answer seemed to satisfy Fandango and the others who had doubts. Feeling inspired, he shouted, "So who's with me?"

There was a tense moment in which no one moved a muscle, and Punk's heart sank. His grand plan had been a major flop.

Then John Cena stood up, quickly followed by Randy Orton. When the rest of the roster noticed the two senior wrestlers making their way to the front, they all stood up and followed them. Soon the entire roster was gathered around Punk. A huge grin spread across his face.

This might work after all.

* * *

When Punk got back to the hotel room, he found Mel standing there with her arms crossed. She had an irritated look on her face, and he immediately knew what it came from. "Look," he said, taking his jacket off and laying it on the back of a nearby chair. "I know I promised you that I would let you handle it, but-"

"Oh just shut up and kiss me," Mel cut him off, her hazel eyes glinting.

Surprised but pleased, Punk crossed the room and pulled her to him. His lips found hers, and she instantly wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, keeping his mouth on hers. He lifted her up and carried her to the bed, dropping her on it before crawling onto it next to her.

She ripped at his clothes with a ferocity that surprised him, but he didn't mind at all. He wanted her just as bad, and he proved it by yanking her clothes off as well. He kissed every inch of her skin, nipping a little at the spots that he knew were sensitive. She did the same to him, and then she pulled him over her and kissed him deeply.

"I need you," she whispered against his lips. He wasn't about to keep her waiting.

Fifteen minutes later they lay in a sweaty heap among the tangled sheets. Her head rested on his chest and he was running his fingers through her silky brown hair. His touch made her feel even more relaxed, and she placed a soft kiss on his chest. "I love you."

Punk smiled and pulled her closer. "I love you too."

Mel fell asleep shortly after that, and as he held her sleeping form in his arms, he bent his head and brushed a kiss onto her forehead. "I'll make it right," he whispered to her. "I promise."


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

And make it right he did.

Monday night before Raw, CM Punk walked into the arena to find people in a panic. True to their word, none of the roster had shown up, and now Vince and Hunter were scrambling for a solution. Just as Punk had planned, however, they couldn't think of a single thing to do that would fix this huge problem. It was impossible to have a wrestling show when there were no wrestlers.

Amused by all of the techies and other employees running around like ants, Punk made his way to Vince's office. He pushed the door open and went in without even bothering to knock, his trademark entrance. Inside he found Vince, Hunter, and Stephanie McMahon, Vince's daughter and Hunter's wife. Vince was sitting behind his desk, which had sheets of paper scattered haphazardly all over its smooth surface. Stephanie was sitting in the chair in front of the desk, a stressed look in her eyes, and Hunter was leaning up against the wall, his mouth set in a tight line. Punk fought the urge to laugh; they all looked like they'd aged five years in the span of an hour.

Hunter exploded as soon as Punk walked in. "You!" he shouted, pushing off of the wall and pointing an accusing finger at the Straight Edge Superstar. "I knew you had something to do with this! I'm going to flay you!"

"Now is not the time," Stephanie snapped at her husband. "We have a massive problem on our hands and no way to fix it. If we don't come up with something quickly, then we can't have a show. Then we'll be giving refunds to a lot of angry fans, who will immediately jump onto various social media sites and badmouth us. Within an hour we'll have every dirtsheet spouting off that we can't control our own employees and our company is going down the drain."

"But isn't that exactly what's happening?" Punk asked innocently. Hunter glowered at him, seething.

Vince spoke for the first time since he'd entered. "Punk, please tell me you didn't have anything to do with this."

"I'm afraid I did, Vince," Punk replied, closing the door to the office and crossing his tattooed arms in front of his chest. He and Vince weren't enemies, they were actually friends. He didn't like that he had caused the old man a lot of stress, but he had done what he'd done for Melly and he didn't regret it at all.

"I told you!" Hunter exclaimed, looking from Vince to Punk. "I knew it was him! He's been causing problems ever since he first stepped foot in this company. Everyone should have just listened to me and terminated his contract years ago, then we wouldn't be in the situation that we're in right now."

"Yeah, because God forbid that anything is ever _your _fault, right Hunter?" Punk spat, getting fed up with the COO's bullshit. "Let's just take a moment and remember whose merchandise is selling. I've brought this company millions, so if you had fired me back then, you would have looked like the biggest dipshit on the face of the planet. Well, more than you already do, of course."

"Enough!" Vince boomed before Hunter could respond. The CEO shifted in his leather office chair so that he was facing Punk. "Why did you do this? You realize that this could affect your paycheck as well."

"I know," Punk replied. "I don't care about my paycheck. I did this because I needed some way to get your attention."

"You know where my office is, clearly," Vince said, confused. "Why didn't you just walk yourself down here and talk to me instead of arranging a roster walkout?"

"I already tried that and you wouldn't listen," Punk pointed out.

"This is about that ditzy girlfriend of his," Hunter broke in, sounding disgusted. "The one we fired for being a pothead."

"My fiancée," Punk corrected him icily. "And she's not a pothead. Lita planted that in her locker to frame her."

"And why would she do that?" Stephanie questioned, leaning back and crossing her muscular legs. "Lita's never given us any reason to doubt what she says."

"Because I cheated on her with Mel and then broke up with her so I could be with Melly," Punk told her. He was well aware of how bad that sounded, and he was ashamed about it. He didn't regret the affair though, because it had led him to the love of his life.

"It sounds like you're the one who's the liar, not Lita," Hunter scoffed.

"I admit that it was wrong of me, and I am ashamed of it," Punk said, glaring at Hunter. "But that's the reason why Lita framed Melly. All that I want is for her to get her job back. She's miserable without it, and it was wrongfully taken from her."

"You sound like you're negotiating," Stephanie observed.

"I am," Punk agreed. "Give Melly her job back, and the roster will return. But only after they get the paychecks that they deserve." He looked right at Vince as he said the last part of his negotiation.

Vince got the hint immediately, and he suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "Well," he said, trying to get the scattered papers back into some sort of order, "I suppose that everyone deserves a second chance. All right, Mel may have her job back. And uh, I'll fix the paycheck problem as well."

Punk felt a huge rush of triumph. To be honest, he had never expected this little plan to work, but he was glad that it had. Maybe he should hold the company hostage more often. He smirked at Hunter, who was positively fuming over the fact that Vince had given in. "I'll inform the roster, and they'll be here ready to wrestle before the show begins," he told Vince.

Vince nodded, looking exhausted. "You're excused, Punk. We have other matters to discuss."

Punk gave a curt nod, smirked once more at Hunter, and then exited the office. He felt like skipping down the hallway, but he figured that that might damage his reputation beyond repair. So instead he settled for running.

He couldn't wait to get back and tell Mel that he had gotten her job back. She was going to be so excited.

* * *

"Babe, I have some good news!" Punk exclaimed, bursting into the hotel room that he shared with Mel.

His fiancée looked up something that she was holding, surprised at the excitement in his tone. "What is it?"  
"I got your job back!" Punk announced triumphantly, picking her up by her hips and spinning her around. Mel laughed and squirmed playfully until he set her back on her feet again.

"That's great, baby," she said, kissing his lips softly. "I have some good news too."

Punk blinked at her in surprise. "What's your good news?"  
Mel handed him what she had been holding. He looked down and saw that he was holding a pregnancy test. There was a plus sign on the tiny screen.

"I'm pregnant," she said.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Punk stared at her for a couple of seconds, a shocked look on his face. For a moment Mel was afraid that he was angry, and she sucked in a sharp breath, her hands coming to rest on her stomach. She wasn't showing yet, but she still felt extremely protective of the tiny being that was growing in her belly.

Punk's face lit up suddenly, and he swept Mel into his arms and kissed her deeply. "That's great!"

Mel broke the kiss and looked up at him, her hazel eyes bright. "You're happy?"

"Of course I am!" Punk exclaimed excitedly. "I want nothing more than to have a baby with you."

"But I thought you didn't want children?" Mel murmured. She remembered way back when they first met, and he told her that marriage and children were out of the question for him. Well, he seemed to have gotten over the marriage issue, as evident by the diamond engagement ring on her finger. It was possible that he got over the children issue too.

"When I said that, I hadn't fallen in love with you yet," Punk told her, his voice soft. "Now, I can't think of anything I want more." He pulled her close and caressed her cheek lovingly. His touch sent shivers down Mel's spine just like it always did, and she leaned into him, never wanting him to stop.

Unfortunately, he had to get some sleep. He had a match with Antonio Cesaro the next day, and he hadn't gotten much rest lately. He really needed to catch some shut eye if he wanted to be refreshed and at his best. So he pulled his hand away from her cheek and tenderly kissed her forehead, laying a hand on her flat stomach. His touch was so gentle that Mel pretty much melted again.

"I have to get some sleep, baby," he murmured, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "You should too, you need rest. Especially with a baby growing inside of you."

Mel smiled warmly up at him. "Okay babe."

Punk undressed until he was in his boxers and then got into bed, shutting the light off before pulling Mel into his arms. She curled into him perfectly, their bodies fitting together like matching puzzle pieces. He felt so complete with her in his arms; it was a feeling that he'd never had when he was with Lita. He and Lita's relationship hadn't been terrible, but it certainly hadn't been as amazing as he and Mel's. To be honest, he had never really believed in true love until he'd met Mel, and now that he had it he was never going to let it go.

Mel was asleep in seconds, and Punk just lay there and stroked her hair, loving the feel of the silky strands sliding through his fingers. Just the thought of a little Melly or a little Punk running around made him ecstatic. He couldn't believe that she was carrying his baby. He had never intended for it to happen, but he loved the thought of it anyways. It occurred to him that he had come really far since he had first met her.

He was still contemplating how far he'd come when his eyes grew heavy, and he slipped into a mindless sleep.

When Punk arrived at the arena the next morning, all of the wrestlers were present and ready to wrestle. Many of them gave him genuine smiles and patted him on the back when he arrived, and Punk had a feeling that the paychecks had been restored to their former glory. That took some stress off of his shoulders; he didn't want to have to go barging into Vince's office and throttle him for not shaking his bad habit.

His match with Cesaro went amazingly well, and the two of them worked really well together. Their match ended up being the match of the night, and when he returned backstage afterwards, he felt happy for the first time since Mel got fired. Melly had her job back, she was pregnant with his baby, and he had gotten his wrestling groove back. Nothing could stop him now.

At least, not until he saw Lita standing by his locker room door.

"What do you want?" he growled as he approached, wiping the sweat off of his face with a towel. He took a long swig of the water bottle that he held in his other hand, draining half of the bottle. His clinic with Cesaro had exhausted him, but he liked that deep ache in his muscles that he sometimes got after a match. It let him know that he had performed to the best of his ability.

"I just wanted to tell you that you had a great match," Lita told him, an odd glint in her eyes. "And to ask how Mel is doing, of course."

Punk's jaw clenched at that. "She's fine," he said through gritted teeth. "No thanks to you." He may have cared for Lita once, but after all of the pain and suffering that she had caused Mel, he hated her with a passion now. All that he wanted was for her to go away and be cut out of his life forever.

Lita nodded slowly, a thoughtful look on her face. "I see," she said slyly. "And how is the baby doing?"

Punk's face hardened immediately and his mouth twisted into a tight line. How did she know about that? He had told no one, and Melly had only told him. There was no way that she could know that Mel was pregnant unless she was stalking them. The thought of that made his blood run cold, and he wanted to seize her and shake the answers out of her. Unfortunately his morals prevented him from doing that, no matter how much he wanted to. "How do you know about that?" he demanded, his tone icy.

Lita just smiled innocently, her eyes cold and cruel. "Well it was only a matter of time," she said with a shrug. "After all, if you've been fucking her ever since we were together, then she was bound to end up pregnant. You're not the type to use protection."

"You don't know anything about me," Punk spat, his hand tightening around the water bottle that he was holding. The bottle made a sickening crunching sound as it crumpled beneath his fist, and he pictured it as Lita's skull. "We only had sex once, and I made sure to use protection. God knows I don't want you to get pregnant with my child."

"You don't seem to have a problem with Mel having your kid," Lita snapped. "Why am I any different? You loved me once, you told me so."  
"The key word there is _once_," Punk snarled, chucking the destroyed bottle into a nearby trashcan. It bounced off of the rim and clattered to the floor, only further infuriating him. "I don't love you anymore, Lita. I love Melly. I always will love her. And nothing you can say will ever change my mind about that. Now leave."

With that, Punk pushed past her and into his locker room, slamming the door and locking it. He threw the towel he had been holding at the far wall, fuming.

If Lita thought she could smash his happiness, then the dumb bitch had another thing coming.


End file.
